Pella (Greek Πέλλα) - the capital of Ancient Macedonia from the end of the 5th to the middle of the 2nd century. BC Birthplace of Alexander the Great.

For the first time, the name of Pella was heard by Herodotus when describing the campaign of the Persian king Xerxes against Greece in 480 BC. e.; Herodotus called Pella a city located in the region of Bottia, inhabited by the Botti tribe. Stefan of Byzantium noted in his geographical treatise: formerly Pella in Macedonia was called Bounomos or Bounomeia. During the reign of the Macedonian king Alexander I (498-454 BC), the lands of Macedonia rapidly expanded to the north and east due to the displacement and absorption of the Thracian and other tribes. Under the son of Alexander I, King Perdikka II, Pella was already part of Macedonia, and the Botti tribe moved to peninsula of Halkidiki. When the Thracian king Sitalk invaded Macedonia in the 2nd half of the 5th c. BC e., the Macedonians took refuge in a few fortresses, making partisan attacks against the enemy. Perhaps it was then that Perdikka II decided to make Pella, located in a protected place, almost in the center of Emathia, his capital. It is not known who exactly and when moved the capital of Macedonia from the sacred Aegis to Pella, but at least the son of Perdiccas, the Macedonian king Archelaus (413-399 BC), built there luxury palace, for the painting of which he invited the famous Greek artist Zeuxis. Euripides was buried here. At the beginning of the IV century. BC e. Pella became the largest city of Macedonia, the place where its kings lived, although the former capital of Egi continued to carry out ritual functions. The Macedonians at that time called relatively small fortresses cities, and, unlike the rest of the Greeks, they lived mainly in the countryside. The heyday of Pella, judging by the archaeological finds, came at the end of the 4th century. BC e., under the successors of Alexander the Great. The great conqueror himself, after taking the throne, stayed in Macedonia for a few months. The only description of the city in the II century. BC e. left Titus Livius: “The Consul left Pydna with the whole army, the next day he was at Pella and set up camp a mile from the city, stood there for several days, examining the location of the city from all sides, and made sure that the kings of Macedonia had not settled here in vain: Pella stands on a hill looking at a winter sunset; swamps around it, impassable neither in summer nor in winter - they are fed by river floods. The fortress of Fakos rises like an island among the swamps in the place where they come closest to the city; it stands on a huge embankment, capable of withstanding the weight of the walls and not suffering from the moisture of the swamps surrounding it. From afar, it seems that the fortress is connected to the city wall, although in fact they are separated by a moat with water, and connected by a bridge, so that the enemy would not be able to approach, and any prisoner imprisoned by the king could not escape except through the bridge, which is easier protect everything. There, in the fortress, there was also the royal treasury…” After the Roman conquest of Macedonia in the 2nd c. BC e. Pella remained for some time the center of one of the 4 administrative districts into which the Romans divided Macedonia...

The ancient Greek city of Pella is the capital of the legendary Macedonian kingdom and the birthplace of the famous commander Alexander the Great. Ruin ancient city located a few kilometers from modern Pella and about 40 km from Thessaloniki.

The first mention of Pella is found in the writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus. At the end of the 5th century BC. Macedonian king Archelaus moved the capital from holy city Egi to Pella and built a luxurious palace here, the painting of which was entrusted to the famous ancient Greek artist Zeuxis. The city began to grow and develop rapidly, and at the beginning of the 4th century Pella was already the largest city in Macedonia. The city reached its peak during the reign of Philip and his famous son Alexander the Great. In 168 BC. Pella was conquered and plundered by the Romans. For some time, Pella remained the capital of one of the districts of the Roman province of Macedonia, but subsequently lost its status to Thessaloniki. Over time, the city fell into decay, and an earthquake in the 1st century BC. completely destroyed it.

Research and the first excavations of ancient Pella date back to the beginning of the 20th century, but large-scale systematic work began already in the 50s of the 20th century. During the excavations, a monumental palace complex was discovered - the residence of the Macedonian kings and, in fact, the ancient Pella itself, located somewhat south of the palace. The city was built in accordance with the urban planning system of the famous ancient Greek architect Hippodamus with rows of streets intersecting at right angles. In the center of the city was the urban Agora, surrounded by a colonnade and occupying an area of ​​​​approximately 70,000 square meters, on the territory of which there were shops, workshops, administrative buildings etc. Pella was also equipped with water supply and sewerage systems. Archaeologists have discovered numerous ruins of one- and two-story residential buildings (some of them have preserved pebble floor mosaics of stunning beauty), as well as the remains of fortress walls, the ruins of the city harbor (in ancient times, Pella was connected to the Thermaikos Gulf by a navigable lagoon) and ancient burials. Part of the archaeological site is now accessible to tourists.

The ruins of Ancient Pella are recognized as important historical and archaeological site and is under state protection. Excavations continue here and at the present time, and it is likely that new amazing discoveries await us in the future.

In 2009, on the territory of the excavations of ancient Pella, a Archaeological Museum, which is considered to be one of the best museums of its kind in Greece.

You, for sure, have heard more than once about a certain Macedonian state? In any case, about his king - the great Alexander of Macedon, for sure. So, the city Pella – ancient capital the great Macedonian kingdom, the place where Alexander the Great was actually born.

During the reign of Philip II and Alexander the Great, Pella flourished and was the most major city Macedonia. Today, the ruins of an ancient family lie in the very center of the region on, 40 km from. Every year, many tourists come here to wander around the once prosperous rich city.

The excavation site is a huge archaeological park and museum, on the territory of which the ruins of the city that have come down to us are located. Here you can see Sanctuary of Aphrodite and Temple of Demeter, as well as the famous palace ruins with mosaic floors. These mosaics are one of the main treasures of Pella. Made of river pebbles, they depict pictures of the everyday life of the ancient Greeks and events from myths - the abduction of Helen the Beautiful, the battle of the Amazons or the deer hunt. All researchers and experts unanimously declare that this level of skill was not only rare in ancient world, but the mosaic technique itself significantly influenced the development of art in Greece - for the first time, the image seems to be “voluminous” due to the use of pebbles of different shades. By the way, pay attention to how skillfully the pebbles are matched to each other - not only in size, but also in shape!

Another local attraction central square ancient Pella - Agora - designed by the famous Greek architect Hippodame. Despite ancient age The agora had its own water supply and sewerage system. Around main square the ruins of the once luxurious houses in the Doric and Ionic style are located, and also in the center of the city there is a low hill Acropolis and the ruins of the palace complex with total area almost 6 hectares - that was where to turn around! ... The large, rectangular area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe agora was surrounded by Doric porticos, behind which there were shops and pottery workshops, to the north of the square was the temple of Aphrodite with ritual halls and the Sanctuary of the Nymphs.

Most of the unique mosaics and other artifacts found during the excavations are now stored in, which lies across the road from the main excavation site. The museum has a collection of more than 3 thousand exhibits: jewelry from gold and precious stones, magnificent ancient exhibits - architectural and topographical drawings, vases, statues and figurines, coins of the Hellenistic and Macedonian period, and much more.

On the territory of the museum there is a cafe where you can have a snack and a cup of coffee, there is also a souvenir shop. Entrance to the territory of archaeological excavations - 6 euros (including a visit to the museum).

Story

For the first time, the name of Pella was heard by Herodotus when describing the campaign of the Persian king Xerxes against Greece in 480 BC. e. ; Herodotus called Pella a city located in the region of Bottia, inhabited by the Botti tribe.

Stefan of Byzantium noted in his geographical treatise: formerly Pella in Macedonia was called Bounomos or Bounomeia. During the reign of the Macedonian king Alexander I (- BC), the lands of Macedonia rapidly expanded to the north and east due to the displacement and absorption of the Thracian and other tribes. Under the son of Alexander I, King Perdikka II, Pella was already part of Macedonia, and the Botti tribe moved to the peninsula of Halkidiki. When the Thracian king Sitalk invaded Macedonia in the 2nd half of the 5th c. BC e. , the Macedonians took refuge in a few fortresses, making partisan attacks against the enemy. Perhaps it was then that Perdikka II decided to make Pella, located in a protected place, almost in the center of Emathia, his capital.

It is not known who exactly and when moved the capital of Macedonia from the sacred Eggs to Pella, but at least the son of Perdikkas, the Macedonian king Archelaus (- BC), built a luxurious palace there, for the painting of which he invited the famous Greek artist Zeuxis. Euripides was buried here.

« The consul left Pydna with all his army, the next day he was at Pella and set up camp a mile from the city, stood there for several days, examining the location of the city from all sides, and was convinced that the kings of Macedonia had not settled here in vain: Pella stands on a hill looking at winter sunset; swamps around it, impassable neither in summer nor in winter - they are fed by river floods. The fortress of Fakos rises like an island among the swamps in the place where they come closest to the city; it stands on a huge embankment, capable of withstanding the weight of the walls and not suffering from the moisture of the swamps surrounding it. From afar, it seems that the fortress is connected to the city wall, although in fact they are separated by a moat with water, and connected by a bridge, so that the enemy would not be able to approach, and any prisoner imprisoned by the king could not escape except through the bridge, which is easier protect everything. There, in the fortress, was the royal treasury...»

After the Roman conquest of Macedonia in the 2nd c. BC e. Pella for some time remained the center of one of the 4 administrative districts into which the Romans divided Macedonia, but then the center was moved to a more conveniently located Thessaloniki, and former capital Macedonian kings was abandoned. Lucian in 180 called Pella an insignificant town with a small number of inhabitants.

The fortress among the swamps did not stand the test of peacetime. In the 1st century BC e. the earthquake destroyed the city. Natural changes in the landscape also contributed to the oblivion of Pella. Once a port on the lake and having access to the Aegean Sea through the Ludius River, over time Pella turned out to be a land city.

Archeology

In our time, only the ancient ruins near the town of Ayii Apostoli (Greek: Άγιοι Απόστολοι ), but there was no certainty that this was the same city - the birthplace of Alexander the Great. In Agioi Apostoli, located one kilometer from the ruins of the ancient city and 40 km northwest of Thessaloniki (Greek Thessaloniki or Thessaloniki Θεσσαλονίκη), he changed his name to Pella.

Excavations in Greece at the supposed site of ancient Pella began in the city and continued from the city. In the city, decorative tiles with Pella inscriptions were found, confirming the correctness of the assumptions of archaeologists. During the excavations, a settlement of the Neolithic period (7th millennium BC), traces of a palace complex with an area of ​​6 hectares, and a fortress were found. Only the stone foundation remained of the walls of the fortress, the walls themselves were made of mud brick, which over time turned into mud that covered the foundation.

The ancient city with an area of ​​about 2 km² was located south of the palace. In the center was big square(agora), and the city itself was regularly planned by streets 9-10 m wide intersecting at right angles. The buildings (almost 500) were one- and two-story.

Mosaic

Lion hunting (“House of Dionysus”, late 4th century BC)

Well-preserved mosaics from the early Hellenistic period have been found on the floors of some buildings.

Of particular interest are the andron floor mosaics of the so-called. "Houses of Dionysus" ("Dionysus", "Hunting a Lion"), and "Houses of Helen's Abduction" ("Hunting a Deer" and "Abduction of Helen" (preserved fragment)).

On the mosaic depicting a deer hunting scene, there is an inscription: “γνῶσις ἐποίεσεν” (“Gnosis made”) - the author's first autograph in the history of the mosaic.

Deer hunting (“House of the abduction of Helen”, end of the 4th century BC)

This is a new level of mosaic art, which neither the masters of classical Greece knew and for a long time will not reach the masters of the Hellenistic era. Realism appears here for the first time: space and volume, color is used freely. In technology - the most careful selection of pebbles, not only in size, but also in shape, for better detail, new materials are used - strips of clay and lead.

; Herodotus called Pella a city located in the region of Bottia, inhabited by the Botti tribe.

Stefan of Byzantium noted in his geographical treatise: formerly Pella in Macedonia was called Bounomos or Bounomeia. During the reign of the Macedonian king Alexander I (- BC), the lands of Macedonia rapidly expanded to the north and east due to the displacement and absorption of the Thracian and other tribes. Under the son of Alexander I, King Perdikka II, Pella was already part of Macedonia, and the Botti tribe moved to the peninsula of Halkidiki. When the Thracian king Sitalk invaded Macedonia in the 2nd half of the 5th c. BC e. , the Macedonians took refuge in a few fortresses, making partisan attacks against the enemy. Perhaps it was then that Perdikka II decided to make Pella, located in a protected place, almost in the center of Emathia, his capital.

It is not known who exactly and when moved the capital of Macedonia from the sacred Eggs to Pella, but at least the son of Perdikkas, the Macedonian king Archelaus (- BC), built a luxurious palace there, for the painting of which he invited the famous Greek artist Zeuxis. Euripides was buried here.

« The consul left Pydna with all his army, the next day he was at Pella and set up camp a mile from the city, stood there for several days, examining the location of the city from all sides, and was convinced that the kings of Macedonia had not settled here in vain: Pella stands on a hill looking at winter sunset; swamps around it, impassable neither in summer nor in winter - they are fed by river floods. The fortress of Fakos rises like an island among the swamps in the place where they come closest to the city; it stands on a huge embankment, capable of withstanding the weight of the walls and not suffering from the moisture of the swamps surrounding it. From afar, it seems that the fortress is connected to the city wall, although in fact they are separated by a moat with water, and connected by a bridge, so that the enemy would not be able to approach, and any prisoner imprisoned by the king could not escape except through the bridge, which is easier protect everything. There, in the fortress, was the royal treasury...»

After the Roman conquest of Macedonia in the 2nd c. BC e. Pella for some time remained the center of one of the 4 administrative districts into which the Romans divided Macedonia, but then the center was moved to a more conveniently located Thessaloniki, and the former capital of the Macedonian kings was abandoned. Lucian in 180 called Pella an insignificant town with a small number of inhabitants.

The fortress among the swamps did not stand the test of peacetime. In the 1st century BC e. the earthquake destroyed the city. Natural changes in the landscape also contributed to the oblivion of Pella. Once a port on the lake and having access to the Aegean Sea through the Ludius River, over time Pella turned out to be a land city.

Archeology

In our time, only the ancient ruins near the town of Ayii Apostoli (Greek: Άγιοι Απόστολοι ), but there was no certainty that this was the same city - the birthplace of Alexander the Great. In Agioi Apostoli, located one kilometer from the ruins of the ancient city and 40 km northwest of Thessaloniki (Greek Thessaloniki or Thessaloniki Θεσσαλονίκη), he changed his name to Pella.

Excavations in Greece at the supposed site of ancient Pella began in the city and continued from the city. In the city, decorative tiles with Pella inscriptions were found, confirming the correctness of the assumptions of archaeologists. During the excavations, a settlement of the Neolithic period (7th millennium BC), traces of a palace complex with an area of ​​6 hectares, and a fortress were found. Only the stone foundation remained of the walls of the fortress, the walls themselves were made of mud brick, which over time turned into mud that covered the foundation.

The ancient city with an area of ​​about 2 km² was located south of the palace. There was a large square (agora) in the center, and the city itself was regularly planned by 9-10 m wide streets intersecting at right angles. The buildings (almost 500) were one- and two-story.

Mosaic

Well-preserved mosaics from the early Hellenistic period have been found on the floors of some buildings.

Of particular interest are the andron floor mosaics of the so-called. "Houses of Dionysus" ("Dionysus", "Hunting a Lion"), and "Houses of Helen's Abduction" ("Hunting a Deer" and "Abduction of Helen" (preserved fragment)).

On the mosaic depicting a deer hunting scene, there is an inscription: “γνῶσις ἐποίεσεν” (“Gnosis made”) - the author's first autograph in the history of the mosaic.

This is a new level of mosaic art, which neither the masters of classical Greece knew and for a long time will not reach the masters of the Hellenistic era. Realism appears here for the first time: space and volume, color is used freely. In technology - the most careful selection of pebbles, not only in size, but also in shape, for better detail, new materials are used - strips of clay and lead.

This is explained by the fact that the master Gnosis was guided in his art by contemporary realistic painting, while others, both early and late masters, oriented the mosaic more towards red-figure vase painting with its predominantly two-color coloring and planar graphics.

Pella's mosaics are the pinnacle of the art of pebble mosaics, and although pebbles will still be used in the 3rd-2nd centuries. BC e., it is becoming obsolete as a material for artwork.

see also

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Notes

Links

• , Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites (via Perseus)
• Hellenic Ministry of Culture
• - in Liberey "New Herodotus"

Coordinates : 40°45′36″ N sh. 22°31′09″ in. d. /  40.76000° N sh. 22.51917° E d./ 40.76000; 22.51917(G) (I)

An excerpt characterizing Pella (city)

Metivier, shrugging his shoulders, went up to Mademoiselle Bourienne, who had come running at a cry from the next room.
“The prince is not quite well,” la bile et le transport au cerveau. Tranquillisez vous, je repasserai demain, [bile and congestion to the brain. Calm down, I'll come tomorrow,] - said Metivier and, putting his finger to his lips, hurriedly left.
Footsteps in shoes were heard outside the door and shouts: “Spies, traitors, traitors everywhere! There is no moment of peace in your house!”
After the departure of Metivier, the old prince called his daughter to him and all the strength of his anger fell upon her. It was her fault that a spy was allowed to see him. .After all, he said, he told her to make a list, and those who were not on the list should not be allowed in. Why did they let this bastard go! She was the cause of everything. With her he could not have a moment of peace, he could not die in peace, he said.
- No, mother, disperse, disperse, you know it, know it! I can't do it anymore," he said and left the room. And as if afraid that she might not be able to somehow console herself, he returned to her and, trying to assume a calm look, added: “And don’t think that I said this to you in a moment of my heart, but I am calm, and I thought it over; and it will be - disperse, look for a place for yourself! ... - But he could not stand it, and with that anger that only a person who loves can have, he, apparently suffering himself, shook his fists and shouted to her:
“And if only some fool would marry her!” - He slammed the door, called m lle Bourienne to him and fell silent in the office.
At two o'clock the chosen six persons gathered for dinner. The guests - the famous Count Rostopchin, Prince Lopukhin with his nephew, General Chatrov, the old, fighting comrade of the prince, and from the young Pierre and Boris Drubetskoy - were waiting for him in the living room.
The other day, Boris, who came to Moscow on vacation, wished to be introduced to Prince Nikolai Andreevich and managed to win his favor to such an extent that the prince made an exception for him from all the unmarried young people whom he did not accept.
The prince's house was not what is called "light", but it was such a small circle, which, although it was not heard in the city, but in which it was most flattering to be received. Boris realized this a week ago, when in his presence Rostopchin told the commander-in-chief, who called the count to dine on Nikolin's day, that he could not be:
- On this day, I always go to venerate the relics of Prince Nikolai Andreevich.
“Oh, yes, yes,” answered the commander-in-chief. - What he?..
The small society, gathered in the old-fashioned, high, with old furniture, drawing room before dinner, looked like a solemn meeting of the council of the court. Everyone was silent, and if they spoke, they spoke quietly. Prince Nikolai Andreevich came out serious and silent. Princess Mary seemed even more quiet and timid than usual. The guests were reluctant to address her, because they saw that she had no time for their conversations. Count Rostopchin alone kept the thread of the conversation, talking about the latest urban or political news.
Lopukhin and the old general occasionally took part in the conversation. Prince Nikolai Andreevich listened as the supreme judge listened to the report that was being made to him, only occasionally stating in silence or in a short word that he took note of what was being reported to him. The tone of the conversation was such that it was understandable that no one approved of what was being done in political world. Events were recounted, apparently confirming that things were going from bad to worse; but in every story and judgment, it was amazing how the narrator stopped or was stopped each time at the border where the judgment could relate to the face of the Emperor.
At dinner, the conversation turned to the latest political news, about the seizure of the possessions of the Duke of Oldenburg by Napoleon, and about the Russian note hostile to Napoleon sent to all European courts.
“Bonaparte treats Europe like a pirate on a conquered ship,” said Count Rostopchin, repeating a phrase he had already spoken several times. - You are only surprised at the patience or blindness of sovereigns. Now it comes to the pope, and Bonaparte no longer hesitates to overthrow the head of the Catholic religion, and everyone is silent! One of our sovereign protested against the seizure of the possessions of the Duke of Oldenburg. And then ... - Count Rostopchin fell silent, feeling that he stood at the point where it was no longer possible to condemn.
“They offered other possessions instead of the Duchy of Oldenburg,” said Prince Nikolai Andreevich. - Just as I resettled the peasants from the Bald Mountains to Bogucharovo and Ryazan, so he dukes.
- Le duc d "Oldenbourg supporte son malheur avec une force de caractere et une resignation admirable, [The Duke of Oldenburg endures his misfortune with remarkable willpower and humility to fate,] said Boris, respectfully entering into a conversation. He said this because he was passing through from Petersburg had the honor of introducing himself to the duke.” Prince Nikolai Andreevich looked at the young man as if he wanted to tell him something about this, but changed his mind, considering him too young for that.
“I read our protest about the Oldenburg case and was surprised at the bad wording of this note,” said Count Rostopchin, with the casual tone of a person judging a case he is well acquainted with.
Pierre looked at Rostopchin with naive surprise, not understanding why he was worried about the bad wording of the note.
“Isn’t it all the same how the note is written, Count?” he said, “if its content is strong.
- Mon cher, avec nos 500 mille hommes de troupes, il serait facile d "avoir un beau style, [My dear, with our 500 thousand troops it seems easy to be expressed in a good style] - said Count Rostopchin. Pierre understood why Count Rostopchin was worried about the editorial note.
“It seems that the scribbler is quite divorced,” said the old prince: “everything is written there in St. Petersburg, not only notes, but new laws are being written. My Andryusha wrote a whole volume of laws for Russia there. Everything is being written! And he laughed unnaturally.
The conversation was silent for a minute; the old general drew attention with a cough.
- Did you deign to hear about the latest event at the review in St. Petersburg? how the new French envoy showed himself!
- What? Yes, I heard something; he said something awkwardly in front of His Majesty.
“His Majesty drew his attention to the grenadier division and the ceremonial march,” continued the general, “and it was as if the envoy did not pay any attention and as if he allowed himself to say that we in France do not pay attention to such trifles. The sovereign did not deign to say anything. At the next review, they say, the sovereign never deigned to turn to him.
Everyone fell silent: no judgment could be made on this fact, which applied personally to the sovereign.
- Daring! - said the prince. Do you know Metivier? I kicked him out today. He was here, they let me in, no matter how I asked not to let anyone in, ”said the prince, looking angrily at his daughter. And he told his whole conversation with the French doctor and the reasons why he was convinced that Metivier was a spy. Although these reasons were very insufficient and not clear, no one objected.
Champagne was served for the roast. The guests rose from their seats, congratulating the old prince. Princess Mary also approached him.