The first thing that caught the eye of the archaeologists upon entering the front chamber was the plaster, which turned out to be in excellent condition. On the floor, you could see many remnants of wood furniture. The front chamber turned out to be incredibly large and, moreover, was literally strewn with various burial utensils. The researchers' attention was drawn to the hole that formed between two marble steles. As it turned out, between them lay a relief plate of gold. Near the entrance to the tomb was found burning from gold, inside of which archaeologists were able to find arrows. Knee pads made of bronze with gilding applied to them were found near goryt. Oil jars made of alabaster lay on the floor. A delightful pectoral made of gold was discovered near one of the walls, and two jellyfish, also made of gold, were found nearby.
Entrance to the museum in Vergina.
The cover, made of gold, was in the form of a plate, which was divided into three parts. Two of these parts were decorated with beautiful reliefs of figures, and the third part, which was the largest in size, was decorated with ornaments ending at the top of the figure of a warrior. All the reliefs were united by a plot depicting warriors who put on armor and armed themselves with swords. They are fighting a bloody battle with their enemies. At the same time, women and children are looking for a secluded place near the altars with images of the gods. Thinking logically, we can come to the conclusion that the capture of the city is depicted: the victors rush into the temples. Scientists immediately assumed that the fall of Troy was depicted - the most favorite subject for all Greek masters. Later, having studied the relief in more detail, the researchers doubted this, since none of the characters could be compared with any hero. Most likely, this is the plot of some other battle, about which we know nothing.
Burns and leggings in the tomb.
It's not a secret for anyone that the leaders of the Scythians used such rich gorites; several pieces of such gorites were found in the southern part of Russia, at the sites of Scythian settlements. In Karagodeuashkhe, archaeologists have found seven similar gorites - most likely, they were made according to the same matrix. This was confirmed by the Soviet scientist A. P. Mantsevich. From this we can conclude that this fire was the prey of the Macedonians after their battle with the Scythian wars. As you know, King Philip II in 339 BC. NS. fought with king Atey and defeated him. The Macedonian warriors have seized huge booty. Most likely, it was at this moment that it was burning and hitting them.
Burning in the museum. On the left is a golden pectoral.
After the sarcophagus in the anterior chamber was opened, a number of pleasant surprises awaited the researchers. There was another urn inside, but this time it was smaller. The researchers immediately took it out and proceeded to autopsy. Inside were bones covered with purple-gold brocade. The gold threads were in good condition, but the purple was about to disappear. The researchers took photographs immediately. Rescuing this fabric was very difficult. A group of restorers headed by T. Margaritov succeeded in doing this. But there was one more find, the uniqueness of which is simply incredible. In the urn, along with the remains, lay a female diadem made of gold - one of the most unique jewelry we inherited from antiquity. The main feature of this decoration was not its luxury, but the grace with which this decoration was made.
Image of battle scenes on fire.
Gold stems were decorated with many curls, buds, the legs of which are also made of gold. The entire composition was crowned with palmettos and the image of bees over flowers - all this combined to create this unique work of art.
Diadem.
Having examined in detail all the finds, the scientists came to the conclusion that they had found the royal tomb. It was the largest of all Macedonian tombs, inside it was painted by a famous artist, and the finds are of great value, both literally and figuratively. The importance of the finds suggests that the tomb belongs to the head of the royal family. A diadem of gold and silver found by scientists speaks in favor of this. The ends of this decoration were fastened with a Hercules knot, which made it possible to adjust the size of the volume.
Perhaps this is what King Philip looked like in his unique iron shell.
The dating of the finds is not difficult. According to scientists, they belong to the third quarter of the 4th century. BC BC, or rather to the period between 350 and 325 BC. NS.
Provided that the dating is correct, it can be concluded that this tomb belongs to Tsar Philip II - the father of the famous Alexander the Great. Anthropological work tells us that the remains belong to a man between the ages of 40 and 50, and Philip is known to have been killed at the age of 46. A group of archaeologists from England carried out the restoration of the skull. The resemblance to the image of the king immediately appeared. Also on the right temporal bone was a depression that was once an arrow wound. The remains from the second urn, as expected, judging by the diadem, turned out to be female. This young girl, aged 23 to 27, was most likely one of Philip's wives, but which one is not yet known. Thus, the amazing treasures found by archaeologists in Vergina made it possible to shed light not only on the civilization of the Macedonians, but also on the entire Hellenistic era of the 4th century BC. NS.
"The tomb of the prince"
However, the work did not end there. Later, archaeologists managed to find another tomb (Tomb III), which was located northwest of the first tomb. Scientists immediately put forward the assumption that one of the members of the royal family is buried in it. This tomb was small in size, but it also had two chambers. Unfortunately, the painting on the facade of the tomb has not survived, since it was carried out not on plaster, as in other tombs, but on a panel made of wood or leather. However, a small mural was found in the front chamber. It depicted a two-wheeled chariot. Of course, we cannot put this frieze on a par with the wonderful painting that was found in other tombs, but still it also belongs to the hand of a great master who knew a lot about his craft.
Painting depicting a chariot.
There were many objects inside the cell. A lot of organic matter was found on the floor. In one corner of the chamber, goblets made of silver were found. Almost all of them were in excellent condition. A total of 28 items were discovered by archaeologists. After they were processed, it turned out that they were not of the same high quality as the finds from Tomb II, but some of them were of equal value. Some of these items had a very unusual, one might even say original shape, which was not typical for silver items. However, despite all this, researchers have discovered several masterpieces. For example, a pater with the image of a ram's head at the end of the handle. This is an excellent example of metalworking that existed in the 4th century BC. NS.
Bronze oil lamp.
However, these are not the only items that deserve close attention. For example, a gilded sword tip has been discovered. Also found were five gilded scrapers (strigilis) made of bronze. We also managed to find greaves on which gilding was applied. In a terrible state, some semblance of clothing made of leather or woven cloth of gold was found. The remains of a man were found after cremation. They were girded with a crown made of gold, oak leaves and acorns. This beautiful crown was not as massive as the one found in the First Tomb, but despite this it can also be considered one of the most amazing crowns of gold that we inherited from antiquity.
Museum premises: finds from tombs.
With almost one hundred percent probability, it can be assumed that the tomb also contained a bed of wood, which was also decorated with ivory carvings. Only two elements of the bed were removed from the pile of debris. Most likely, it was the decoration of the legs of the box. The painstaking work of G. Petkusis allowed scientists to restore some elements of relief and ornamentation. As it turned out, Pan was depicted on the relief, and a Dionysian couple was depicted on the left side. It can be seen that a man of mature age is holding a torch in his hand, at the same time he is leaning on the shoulders of a young woman.
Painting of one of the tombs in Vergina: funeral procession.
The careful work of anthropologists made it possible to establish that a young man aged 12 to 14 years is buried in the tomb. Only the fact that this tomb was built specifically for the deceased young man makes it possible to rank it among the royal tombs. If anyone still had any doubts, then the treasures found by archaeologists should have completely dispelled all fears: one should remember about the found tomb, which was made in all traditions of high art.
Some of the historians suggest that this tomb belongs to Alexander IV, the son of the famous Alexander the Great. As you know, he was declared king after the death of his father, and was killed in 310 - 309 BC. NS.
Ivory portrait of Philip II, height 3.2 cm.
Despite all those amazing finds, work in Vergina did not stop. In 1982, archaeologists managed to unearth the city theater, in which Philip II was killed, and his son was proclaimed king. In 1987, another startling discovery was made. Another tomb was found. After opening, scientists were able to find a huge amount of burial utensils inside. As it turned out, this tomb dates back to the 6th century BC. NS. From this we can conclude that this is the earliest tomb that was found in the ancient Macedonian capital. Also, during excavations at a depth, blocks of limestone were found that made up a large structure. As it turned out, it turned out to be a burial chamber. Unfortunately, the robbers have already been here. But, despite this, in one of the chambers, scientists were lucky to find a unique find - it turned out to be a throne made of marble with an ornament made on it. He stood at the farthest corner of the tomb. On its back was a relief depicting plants and an image of Pluto and Persephone on a chariot. Next to the throne was a bench that was specially designed for the feet. Scientists suggest that this tomb belongs to a woman. Most likely, she also belonged to the royal family. After her death, her body was also cremated. After that, the remains were placed in a chest.
Gold earrings from the burial at Vergina.
Today, all these artifacts found during excavations at Vergina are on display at the Vergina Museum and the Archeology Museum in Thessaloniki. Everyone who looks at them, of course, sees something of his own in them, but one thing is certain - the very high level of the then Greek culture, somewhat later, namely after Alexander the Great's campaigns to the East, which became the basis for the culture of the Hellenistic era.
