Pella
Capital of ancient Macedon, birthplace of Philip II and Alexander the Great.
Located one kilometer from the modern town of Pella in Central Macedonia, Greece, the city was probably founded at the beginning of the 4th century BC by King Archelaus I to serve as the new capital of Macedon, replacing Aigai, which remained the traditional royal burial site. Strategically positioned in Lower Macedonia, Pella was originally a port connected to the Thermaic Gulf by a navigable inlet, though this harbor has since silted up. The city quickly grew into the largest and wealthiest in Macedonia, a status noted by the historian Xenophon early in the 4th century BC. Archelaus embellished his new capital by commissioning the celebrated painter Zeuxis to decorate the palace and hosting the playwright Euripides, who wrote and staged his *Bacchae* there around 408 BC. Pella was the birthplace of King Philip II in 382 BC and his son Alexander the Great in 356 BC. Already fortified by Philip’s time, the city reached its peak of prosperity under the reigns of Cassander, who redesigned and expanded it, and Antigonus II, whose era left the richest archaeological remains. During the Macedonian Wars, Pella served as the capital of Philip V and Perseus. In 168 BC, following the Roman victory at Pydna, the city was sacked by the Romans, who seized its treasury. The Roman general Lucius Aemilius Paulus noted its strong defensive position, built on a slope and surrounded by a marsh, with a citadel called the Phacus standing like an island in the lagoon. After the conquest, Pella became the capital of the third administrative division of the Roman province of Macedonia and remained a significant stop on the Via Egnatia. It was struck by a severe earthquake around 90 BC, destroying many shops and workshops, but was later rebuilt. The city was elevated to a Roman colony between 45 and 30 BC, issuing coins marked *Colonia Iulia Augusta Pella*, and Augustus settled landless peasants there. Despite a gradual decline as Thessalonica grew in importance, the southern part of the city near the lagoon continued to show signs of activity.
- Founded
- Beginning of the 4th century BC (probably by Archelaus I)
- Location
- 1 km outside modern Pella, Central Macedonia, Greece
- Destroyed by earthquake
- c. 90 BC
- Roman colony
- Colonia Iulia Augusta Pella (45–30 BC)
Lore & Background
Pella was a strategic port in Lower Macedonia, connected to the Thermaic Gulf by a navigable inlet that later silted up, leaving the site inland. It is first mentioned in relation to Xerxes' campaign and Macedonian expansion. By the early 4th century BC, Xenophon called it the largest Macedonian city. Philip II made it a walled city of great international importance, and it flourished under Cassander and Antigonus II, with the latter's reign representing the height of prosperity. The city was built on the southwest slope of a hill and surrounded by a deep marsh that was impassable on foot in any season. Its citadel, the Phacus, stood in the marsh itself like an island, built on a massive substructure strong enough to support a wall and resist water damage. A channel separated the citadel from the city wall, connected only by a bridge that could be easily guarded. After the Roman sack in 168 BC, the Roman general Paulus noted that the location had clearly been chosen for its defensibility. The city later became a Roman colony, minting coins marked Colonia Iulia Augusta Pella, and Augustus settled peasants there whose land he had taken for his veterans.
Reader's Guide
Pella served as the political and commercial heart of Macedon during its rise, replacing Aigai as the capital while Aigai retained its role as the royal burial site. The city was a strategic port in Lower Macedonia, originally connected to the Thermaic Gulf by a navigable inlet that later silted up. Archelaus I invited the renowned painter Zeuxis to decorate the palace and hosted the poet Timotheus and the playwright Euripides, who wrote and produced works there, including the first staging of the *Bacchae*. Pella was the birthplace of Philip II and his son Alexander the Great. Under Cassander, the city was redesigned and expanded, and it reached its peak of prosperity during the reign of Antigonus II, as evidenced by the most abundant archaeological remains. The city was sacked by the Romans in 168 BC, its treasury taken to Rome. Despite later becoming a Roman colony and a point on the Via Egnatia, it declined after an earthquake around 90 BC, with the provincial seat moving to Thessalonica. The site remains a key source for understanding Macedonian culture, language, and urban planning, with excavated houses, mosaics, and shops revealing daily life and artistic achievement.
Did You Know?
- Pella was probably founded at the beginning of the 4th century BC by Archelaus I, supplanting Aigai as capital.
- The name 'Pella' may derive from the ancient Greek word 'pella' meaning 'stone'.
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