Past Watch Site

Constructed between the fourth and second centuries B.C., the Macedonian tombs at Pella provide key evidence about the design and decoration of temples and other buildings, now lost, of this period. The tombs are subterranean structures, each covered by a tumulus and marked by a temple-like façade. Perhaps the best known tombs of this type are those associated with King Philip II—father of Alexander the Great—and other royals at Vergina, the former capital of the Macedonian kingdom. Pella replaced Vergina as the Macedonian capital in the fifth century B.C., and was the seat of Philip's reign, as well as his son's.

Inside the Pella tombs, paintings decorate the walls of the chambers and antechambers. While there are about 100 such tombs in northern Greece, only a few are preserved at this level. Since their excavation in 1994, however, changes in temperature and humidity inside the tombs have compromised their stability. Although wood—and later metal—shelters were built to protect the tombs from the elements, the shelters are not equipped to regulate the climatic conditions inside. Fluctuations in temperature and humidity are causing deterioration of the architecture and interior decoration, and if not addressed, substantial loss is inevitable. Finding effective solutions to the problems facing the tombs at Pella will also benefit other sites with underground burial chambers, such as those in other parts of Greece, the Balkans, and Egypt.

Last update: 2008