The ceremonial shield of the Tombs of Vergina is a decorative shield found in the Royal Tombs at Aigai (now known as Vergina) in Northeast Greece. [1] The shield was found alongside other lavish grave goods and the remains of family members of Alexander the Great, including Philip II of Macedon. The ceremonial shield dates to the late fourth century B.C.E. and was discovered in 1976.
Aigai served as the capital of Macedon until the fifth century BCE, when the capital was moved to Pella. After this move the area was still used as a burial site for elite and royal families. [2] The shield was discovered in the second of three tombs being excavated as part of an archaeological dig in 1976. [3] It was accompanied by other military related artifacts and the remains of a middle-aged man and woman. [4]
Some scholars[ who? ] have argued that the shield is the same one that Alexander the Great took from a shrine in Troy and used in his campaigns, however opponents of this theory have pointed out that the shield is not suited for battle and does not completely fit descriptions of the campaign shield, leading them to instead propose that it was used for religious or festive purposes. [4] [1] Other opine that the shield belonged to Alexander's brother, Philip III Arrhidaios, who is believed to have been buried inside Tomb II. [5]
The ceremonial shield is in the basic form of an aspis but with more ornate decoration and is made of wood, leather, glass, gold, and ivory. [1] [4] The front of the shield includes a geometric pattern of ivory surrounding the border, while a gold wreath encompasses two deteriorated ivory figures in the center. [4] Because of the erosion of the figures, their identities are not clear, but a male figures appears to tower over a smaller, female figure. [4] The reverse side of the shield includes an ornate golden handle in a "T" shape with floral designs at the ends. Near the middle of the handle grip, two small lions are carved into the gold. [4] Scholars such as N. G. L. Hammond believe that the figures are likely a symbol of power or royalty and that the shield's rich design fits with the other grave goods found in the royal tomb, which were made of gold, silver, and ivory. [1]
Macedonia, also called Macedon, was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, which later became the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled by the royal Argead dynasty, which was followed by the Antipatrid and Antigonid dynasties. Home to the ancient Macedonians, the earliest kingdom was centered on the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, and bordered by Epirus to the southwest, Illyria to the northwest, Paeonia to the north, Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south.
Philip II of Macedon was the king (basileus) of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia from 359 BC until his death in 336 BC. He was a member of the Argead dynasty, founders of the ancient kingdom, and the father of Alexander the Great.
Philip III Arrhidaeus was king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia from 323 until his execution in 317 BC. He was a son of King Philip II of Macedon by Philinna of Larissa, and thus an elder half-brother of Alexander the Great. Named Arrhidaeus at birth, he assumed the name Philip when he ascended to the throne.
Alexander IV, sometimes erroneously called Aegus in modern times, was the son of Alexander the Great and Princess Roxana of Bactria.
Vergina is a small town in Northern Greece, part of Veria municipality in Imathia, Central Macedonia. Vergina was established in 1922 in the aftermath of the population exchanges after the Treaty of Lausanne and was a separate municipality until 2011, when it was merged with Veroia under the Kallikratis Plan.
Central Macedonia is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece, consisting of the central part of the geographical and historical region of Macedonia. With a population of almost 1.8 million, it is the second most populous region in Greece after Attica.
Manolis Andronikos was a Greek archaeologist and a professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
The sarissa or sarisa was a long spear or pike about 5 to 7 meters in length. It was introduced by Philip II of Macedon and was used in his Macedonian phalanxes as a replacement for the earlier dory, which was considerably shorter. These longer spears improved the strength of the phalanx by extending the rows of overlapping weapons projecting towards the enemy. After the conquests of Alexander the Great, the sarissa was a mainstay during the Hellenistic era by the Hellenistic armies of the diadochi Greek successor states of Alexander's empire, as well as some of their rivals.
Eurydice was an Ancient Macedonian queen and wife of king Amyntas III of Macedon.
The Macedonians were an ancient tribe that lived on the alluvial plain around the rivers Haliacmon and lower Axios in the northeastern part of mainland Greece. Essentially an ancient Greek people, they gradually expanded from their homeland along the Haliacmon valley on the northern edge of the Greek world, absorbing or driving out neighbouring non-Greek tribes, primarily Thracian and Illyrian. They spoke Ancient Macedonian, which is usually classified by scholars as a dialect of Northwest Doric Greek, and occasionally as a distinct sister language of Greek or an Aeolic Greek dialect. However, the prestige language of the region during the Classical era was Attic Greek, replaced by Koine Greek during the Hellenistic era. Their religious beliefs mirrored those of other Greeks, following the main deities of the Greek pantheon, although the Macedonians continued Archaic burial practices that had ceased in other parts of Greece after the 6th century BC. Aside from the monarchy, the core of Macedonian society was its nobility. Similar to the aristocracy of neighboring Thessaly, their wealth was largely built on herding horses and cattle.
Pella is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It served as the capital of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. Currently, it is located 1 km outside the modern town of Pella.
Meda of Odessos, died 336 BC, was a Thracian princess, daughter of the king Cothelas a Getae, and wife of king Philip II of Macedon. Philip married her after Olympias.
In Greek mythology, Eucleia or Eukleia was the female personification of glory and good repute.
Eugene N. Borza was a professor of ancient history at Pennsylvania State University, where he taught from 1964 until 1995.
The Vergina Sun (Greek: Ήλιος της Βεργίνας, romanized: Ilios tis Vergínas, lit. 'Sun of Vergina', also known as the Star of Vergina, Vergina Star or Argead Star, is a rayed solar symbol first appearing in ancient Greek art of the period between the 6th and 2nd centuries BC. The Vergina Sun proper has sixteen triangular rays, while comparable symbols of the same period variously have sixteen, twelve, eight or six rays.
Eurydice, often referred to as Adea Eurydice, was the Queen consort of Macedon, wife of Philip III and daughter of Amyntas IV and Cynane.
The Argead dynasty, also known as the Temenid dynasty was an ancient Macedonian royal house of Dorian Greek provenance. They were the founders and the ruling dynasty of the kingdom of Macedon from about 700 to 310 BC.
Aegae or Aigai, also Aegeae or Aigeai (Αἰγέαι) was the original capital of Macedon, an ancient kingdom in Emathia in northern Greece. Its site is located within the modern town of Vergina.
The Museum of the Royal Tombs of Aigai (Vergina) is located 75 km west of Thessaloniki, Greece, centered around the royal tombs built by the ancient Kingdom of Macedon at Aigai. The underground museum containing the burial cluster of Philip II of Macedon began construction in 1993 and was inaugurated in 1997. Exhibits are presented in four connected areas, including the Palace, the royal burial cluster of the Temenid dynasty (burial cluster "C"), the burial cluster of Philip II, and a gateway entrance with a semi-open-air exhibition of the sculptures found in the city sanctuaries and the restored upper floor of the Palace of Philip's facade. The tombs and other archaeological sites of Aigai were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996 because of its exceptional architecture and testimony to the transition between city-states and empires in European civilization.
The Golden Larnax is a 4th-century BC closed coffin discovered in the Macedonian Royal tombs at Vergina in Greece. It has been proposed that it contained the remains of King Philip II of Macedon.