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The ancient palace where Alexander the Great was crowned King of Macedon will reopen to the public on Sunday after 16 years of renovation work worth 20 million euros aimed at restoring it to its former glory. In a rite on Friday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called the Aigai Palace a “monument of world importance. “The 4th-century B. C. site, which spans 15,000 square meters, is one of the most important in classical Greece along with the Parthenon in Athens.
Aigai, the capital of the Macedonian kingdom, the dominant military force of the time, and archaeologists claim that the palace was the spiritual center of the kingdom. Built by Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great, the tombs of Philip and other Macedonian kings. they’re close. After his father’s assassination, Alexander was crowned in the palace in 336 BC. Before launching a military crusade that created an empire that stretched into present-day India.
The palace “has a cultural and national character, as it confirms Macedonia’s Greek identity through the centuries,” Mitsotakis said. The site includes the royal palace and a colonnade surrounding the palace and agora, where ancient Macedonians debated vital issues. in the courtyard, with a capacity of 8,000 people, he proclaimed himself King Alexander.
The Romans destroyed the palace in 148 B. C. Excavations to uncover the site began in 1865 and continued into the 20th century. The recovery effort began in 2007 with the European Union. Located near the elegant Greek village of Vergina, the palace and nearby tombs are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Greece has increased investment in its many ancient sites, which have become a vital source of tourism revenue.
For three decades, he has been calling for the return of the Parthenon sculptures held in the British Museum, saying they were looted in the 19th century, when Greece was under Ottoman rule.