Pella g tennis. Greek pictures - Thessaloniki, Western Macedonia, Meteora. Traveling through Greece with photographs from Andrey K. Restoring the memory of Pella

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

Stephen of Byzantium noted in his geographical treatise: Pella in Macedonia was formerly 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 Thracian and other tribes. Under the son of Alexander I, King Perdiccas II, Pella was already part of Macedonia, and the Botti tribe moved to the Chalkidiki Peninsula. When the Thracian king Sitalkos invaded Macedonia in the 2nd half of the 5th century. BC e. , the Macedonians took refuge in a few fortresses, making guerrilla attacks against the enemy. Perhaps it was then that Perdiccas II decided to make Pella, located in a protected location, 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 Perdikkas, the Macedonian king Archelaus (- BC), built there luxurious palace, for the painting of which he invited the famous Greek artist Zeuxis. Euripides was buried here.

« The consul with his entire army left Pidna, the next day he was at Pella and set up a camp a mile from the city, stood there for several days, examining the location of the city from all sides, and was convinced that it was not in vain that the kings of Macedonia settled here: Pella stood on a hill overlooking winter sunset; There are swamps around it, impassable either in summer or 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 that surround it. From a distance it seems that the fortress is connected to the city wall, although in fact they are separated by a moat with water, and are connected by a bridge, so that the enemy cannot approach, and any captive 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 century. BC e. Pella remained for some time 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 withstand the tests of peacetime. In the 1st century BC e. an earthquake destroyed the city. Natural changes in the landscape also contributed to the oblivion of Pella. Having once been a port on a lake and having access to the Aegean Sea through the Ludium River, over time Pella turned out to be a land city.

Archeology

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

Excavations in Greece at the supposed site of ancient Pella began in the city and continued from the city. Decorative tiles with Pella inscriptions were discovered in the city, confirming the correctness of the archaeologists' assumptions. 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. All that was left of the fortress walls was a stone foundation; the walls themselves were made of mud brick, which over time turned into mud, covering the foundation.

The ancient city, with an area of about 2 km², was located south of the palace. In the center there was a large square (agora), and the city itself was regularly planned with streets 9-10 m wide 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 floor mosaics of the androns, so-called. “Houses of Dionysus” (“Dionysus”, “Lion Hunt”), and “Houses of the Abduction of Helen” (“Hunting the 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 new level mosaic art, which neither the masters of classical Greece knew and would not be achieved by the masters of the Hellenistic era for a long time. Here for the first time realism appears: space and volume, color is used freely. The technique involves 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 master Gnosis was guided in his art by contemporary realistic painting, while others, both early and late masters, oriented mosaics more towards red-figure vase painting with its predominantly two-color color scheme and planar graphics.

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

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Excerpt characterizing Pella (city)
Metivier shrugged his shoulders and approached Mademoiselle Bourienne, who had come running in response to the scream from the next room.
“The prince is not entirely healthy,” la bile et le transport au cerveau. Tranquillisez vous, je repasserai demain, [bile and rush to the brain. Calm down, I’ll come by tomorrow,” Metivier said and, putting his finger to his lips, he hurriedly left.
Outside the door one could hear footsteps in shoes and shouts: “Spies, traitors, traitors everywhere! There is no moment of peace in your home!”
After Metivier left, the old prince called his daughter to him and the full force of his anger fell on her. It was her fault that a spy was allowed in 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 scoundrel in! She was the reason for everything. With her he could not have a moment of peace, he could not die in peace, he said.
- And at least 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 arrived for dinner. The guests—the famous Count Rostopchin, Prince Lopukhin and his nephew, General Chatrov, the prince’s old comrade in arms, and 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 gain his favor to such an extent that the prince made an exception for him from all the single young people whom he did not accept.
The prince’s house was not what is called “light,” but it was such a small circle that, although it was unheard of in the city, it was most flattering to be accepted into it. Boris understood this a week ago, when in his presence Rostopchin told the commander-in-chief, who called the count to dinner on St. Nicholas Day, that he could not be:
“On this day I always go to venerate the relics of Prince Nikolai Andreich.
“Oh yes, yes,” answered the commander-in-chief. - What he?..
The small company gathered in the old-fashioned, tall, old-furnished living room before dinner looked like a solemn council of a court of justice. Everyone was silent and if they spoke, they spoke quietly. Prince Nikolai Andreich came out serious and silent. Princess Marya 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 held the thread of the conversation, talking about the latest city and political news.
Lopukhin and the old general occasionally took part in the conversation. Prince Nikolai Andreich listened as the chief judge listened to the report that was being made to him, only occasionally declaring in silence or a short word that he was taking note of what was being reported to him. The tone of the conversation was such that it was clear that no one approved of what was being done in political world. They talked about events that obviously confirmed that everything was going from bad to worse; but in every story and judgment it was striking how the narrator stopped or was stopped every time at the border where the judgment could relate to the person of the sovereign emperor.
During dinner, the conversation turned to the latest political news, about Napoleon's seizure of the possessions of the Duke of Oldenburg 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 long-suffering or blindness of sovereigns. Now it comes to the pope, and Bonaparte no longer hesitates to overthrow the head catholic religion, and everyone is silent! One of our sovereigns protested against the seizure of the possessions of the Duke of Oldenburg. And then...” Count Rostopchin fell silent, feeling that he was standing at the point where it was no longer possible to judge.
“They offered other possessions instead of the Duchy of Oldenburg,” said Prince Nikolai Andreich. “Just as I resettled men from Bald Mountains to Bogucharovo and Ryazan, so he did the dukes.”
“Le duc d"Oldenbourg supporte son malheur avec une force de caractere et une resignation admirable, [The Duke of Oldenburg bears his misfortune with remarkable willpower and submission to fate," said Boris, respectfully entering into the conversation. He said this because he was passing through from St. Petersburg had the honor of introducing himself to the Duke. Prince Nikolai Andreich looked at the young man as if he would like to say something to him about this, but decided against it, considering him too young for that.
“I read our protest about the Oldenburg case and was surprised at the poor wording of this note,” said Count Rostopchin, in the careless tone of a man judging a case well known to him.
Pierre looked at Rostopchin with naive surprise, not understanding why the poor edition of the note bothered him.
– Doesn’t it matter 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 express ourselves in a good style,] said Count Rostopchin. Pierre understood why Count Rostopchin was worried about the edition of the note.
“It seems that the scribblers are pretty busy,” said the old prince: “they write everything there in St. Petersburg, not just notes, but they write new laws all the time.” My Andryusha wrote a whole lot of laws for Russia there. Nowadays they write everything! - And he laughed unnaturally.
The conversation fell silent for a minute; The old general drew attention to himself by clearing his throat.
– Did you deign to hear about the latest event at the show 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,” the general continued, “and it was as if the envoy did not pay any attention and seemed to allow himself to say that in France we do not pay attention to such trifles.” The Emperor did not deign to say anything. At the next review, they say, the sovereign never deigned to address him.
Everyone fell silent: no judgment could be expressed on this fact, which related personally to the sovereign.
- Daring! - said the prince. – Do you know Metivier? I drove him away from me today. He was here, they let me in, no matter how much 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 unclear, no one objected.
Champagne was served along with the roast. The guests rose from their seats, congratulating the old prince. Princess Marya also approached him.

The famous ruler Alexander was born in this city. In the ancient city of Pella, every stone breathes thousands of years of history.

Alexander created a majestic empire that united peoples and countries. Much from those times has survived to this day. Everything here reminds us of the creation of a civilization that even today keeps numerous secrets and mysteries.

Historians do not know who decided to create a royal capital from a small town, but 2400 years ago, King Archelaus built a luxurious palace here, known as one of the best examples of ancient architecture and visual arts. The first mentions of the city date back to the time of the campaign of King Darius and the famous battle of the Spartans.

The growing influence of the Macedonian kings was also expanded by Pella. From small town with a favorable location, where it was possible to perfectly defend against enemies, it rose to the title of capital of the formidable Macedonian kingdom.

City of the King of Kings

In the 4th century BC the city became one of the most major cities a young and rapidly growing kingdom. The rulers of Macedonia, which began to unite most of the Greek lands, were born and died here. The famous commander, creator of the largest Hellenistic state, Alexander the Great or Alexander III the Great, was born in the city.

Alexander's heirs made Pella one of the largest and most brilliant cities of the new empire. Then the city experienced periods of prosperity and decline, but after a major earthquake at the beginning of the 1st century BC, it was almost completely destroyed.

Restoring the memory of Pella

Only in the early 20s of our century, archaeologists were able to begin excavations and searches for an answer to the question of whether the capital of Macedonia was actually in Pella. The excavations delighted scientists. Found here huge amount well-preserved artifacts from ancient Greek times.
Archaeological Museum Pella is a treasury of modern knowledge about the times of the kings, the exploits of heroes and battles for freedom.

Today, travelers can spend hours enjoying the artifacts of this ancient era. Scientists carefully studied everything that could be recovered from the ruins and found the remains of a magnificent city.

There was a palace here, located on 6 hectares. In the center of the city there was a large agora square for meetings, holidays, and trade. The wide streets were carefully planned. The ancient inhabitants of Pella lived in 500-plus houses with one- or two-story structures. The houses are richly decorated with mosaics, sculptures and paintings. The unique mosaics in the Pella houses have been preserved. It is considered the pinnacle achievement of ancient Greek culture due to the richness and brightness of the images and the realism of the images.

Ancient Pella is a reflection of the Greek civilization, which created the foundation of modern civilization. Today's Pella is a rich in antiquities and spectacular open-air museum city.

You've probably heard more than once about a certain Macedonian state? In any case, about its king - the great Alexander the Great, for sure. So this is the city Pella- the ancient capital of 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 largest city in Macedonia. Today, the ruins of an ancient family lie in the very center of the region, 40 km from. Every year, many tourists come here to wander around the once prosperous, wealthy city.

The excavation site is a huge archaeological park and a museum, on the territory of which the ruins of the city that have reached 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 Pella's main treasures. Made from river pebbles, they depict pictures of the daily life of the ancient Greeks and events from myths - the abduction of Helen the Beautiful, the battle of the Amazons or a deer hunt. All researchers and specialists 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 “volumetric” thanks 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 is the central square ancient Pella- Agora, - designed by the famous Greek architect Hippodamus. Despite ancient age, the agora had its own water supply and sewerage system. Around the main square are the ruins of once luxurious houses in the Doric and Ionic styles, and there is also a low hill in the center of the city Acropolis and the ruins of the palace complex with total area almost 6 hectares - there was plenty of room to turn around!... The large, rectangular area of the agora was surrounded by Doric porticoes, behind which there were shops and pottery workshops; to the north of the square there was a temple of Aphrodite with ritual halls and a Sanctuary of 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 area. 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, and there is also a souvenir shop. Entrance to the archaeological site is 6 euros (including museum admission).

Story

The name Pella was first mentioned by Herodotus when describing the campaign of the Persian king Xerxes against Greece in 480 BC. e. ; Herodotus named Pella a city located in the region of Bottiea, inhabited by the Botti tribe.

Stephen of Byzantium noted in his geographical treatise: Pella in Macedonia was formerly 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 Thracian and other tribes. Under the son of Alexander I, King Perdiccas II, Pella was already part of Macedonia, and the Botti tribe moved to peninsula of Halkidiki. When the Thracian king Sitalkos invaded Macedonia in the 2nd half of the 5th century. BC e. , the Macedonians took refuge in a few fortresses, making guerrilla attacks against the enemy. Perhaps it was then that Perdiccas II decided to make Pella, located in a protected location, almost in the center of Emathia, his capital.

It is unknown who exactly and when moved the capital of Macedonia from the sacred Aegis to Pella, but at least the son of Perdikkas, the Macedonian king Archelaus (- BC), built a luxurious palace there, and invited the famous Greek artist Zeuxis to paint it. Euripides was buried here.

« The consul with his entire army left Pidna, the next day he was at Pella and set up a camp a mile from the city, stood there for several days, examining the location of the city from all sides, and was convinced that it was not in vain that the kings of Macedonia settled here: Pella stood on a hill overlooking winter sunset; There are swamps around it, impassable either in summer or 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 that surround it. From a distance it seems that the fortress is connected to the city wall, although in fact they are separated by a moat with water, and are connected by a bridge, so that the enemy cannot approach, and any captive 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 century. 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 withstand the tests of peacetime. In the 1st century BC e. an earthquake destroyed the city. Natural changes in the landscape also contributed to the oblivion of Pella. Having once been a port on the lake and having access to the Aegean Sea through the Ludium River, over time Pella turned out to be a land city.

Archeology

Mosaic

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

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

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”, late 4th century BC)

This is a new level of mosaic art, which neither the masters of classical Greece knew and will not be achieved by the masters of the Hellenistic era for a long time. Here for the first time realism appears: space and volume, color is used freely. The technique involves careful selection of pebbles not only in size, but also in shape; for better detail, new materials are used - strips of clay and lead.

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

The first mention of Pella is found in the works of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus. At the end of the 5th century BC. Macedonian king Archelaus moved the capital from holy city Egi in Pella and built a luxurious palace here, the painting of which was commissioned 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 largest city Macedonia. The city reached its greatest prosperity during the reign of Philip and his famous son Alexander the Great. In 168 BC. Pella was conquered and sacked 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 there was a city 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 stunningly beautiful pebble floor mosaics), 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 today accessible to tourists.

The ruins of Ancient Pella are recognized as an important historical and archaeological site and are under state protection. Excavations continue here 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, the Archaeological Museum was opened, which is rightfully considered one of best museums similar in Greece.

It might be useful to read:

Pella g tennis. Greek pictures - Thessaloniki, Western Macedonia, Meteora. Traveling through Greece with photographs from Andrey K. Restoring the memory of Pella

Archeology

Mosaic

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City of the King of Kings

Restoring the memory of Pella

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Archeology

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