Creative Commons

In this essay, we will discuss about the Macedonian palaces, giving more emphasis on the Hellenistic period. From the 4th century BC and onwards, the Macedonian kingdom was gradually organized into a network of dynastic foundations in which the royal palace was the predominant “landmark” and the core of the kingdom fulfilling the different functions of residence, court’s setting and perhaps administrative work, key element of the political propaganda. Although a possible existence of such residences has been suspected in many cities of the kingdom such as Amphipolis, Thessalonica, Cassandria and Ouranopolis, so far there is clear archaeological evidence only in some “major” cities of the realm such as Pella, Aigai and Demetrias. In fact, I will elaborate on the palaces of Pella, Aigai and Demetrias and the similarities and differences that we find between them. Specifically, we will talk about the historical background from each of the palaces, their relation with the city and how it functioned in their architecture. In addition, we will try to examine their stylistic “evolution” throughout the years starting from Aigai with Philip II up until the late Hellenistic period. Furthermore we will analyze their spatial organization through the architecture of the complexes, the inscriptions and all the portable findings. After their description, a comparison will follow in order to find out what characteristics have in common and in which differentiate. In the end, we will try to find the features that define a Hellenistic Macedonian Palace.