Greece to restore section of the Royal Palace of Pella

Greece’s Central Archaeological Council (KAS) earlier this week approved a study which aims to preserve, restore part of the 'Monumental Propylon' and 'Building I' of the massive Royal Palace complex of ancient Pella in Greece’s Central Macedonia.

Courtyard with a pebble-mosaic paving in Pella [Credit: Archaeological Museum of Pella]

This resolution comes as the finalization of the 2016 decision which aimed, for the first time, to restore and recreate one of ancient Greece’s most impressive palaces.

Ancient Pella was the capital and one of the most important urban settlements of Northern Greece in antiquity. The Palace of Pella was originally built in the fifth century BC, during the reign of Archaelaos, and is where the legendary Alexander the Great was born and raised.

View of the archaeological site of Pella [Credit: Archaeological Museum of Pella]

The ancient Macedonian palace was a massive construction, comprised of a complex network of buildings which were connected to each other through stoas, staircases and pathways.

The fact that it was built on different levels made it even more impressive structurally.

Ionic peristyle of administrative district of Pella [Credit: Archaeological Museum of Pella]

The ancient palace occupied an area of some 56,000 square metres, making it without question one of the most impressive buildings in the ancient world.

Access to the palace was via the Propylon, which was framed by the Doric colonnades of two buildings, Building I (to the east) and Building II (to the west).

Schematic plan of Pella [Credit: WikiCommons]

Today, all that is left is the foundation of the complex, with several columns and impressive mosaics still visible in certain areas across the site.

Much of the palace was destroyed during the Byzantine era, when most of its stones were reused for the construction of nearby settlements.

The scattered ancient material was recorded in 2016 for use in the proposed restoration work, while the project's objectives are to make the plan of the monument discernable to the visitor, to project the theatricality and monumentality of the palace.

To this end four columns in the peristyle of the courtyard of Building I and three of the Propylon's stoa will be restored.

Source: Greek Reporter & AMNA [May 15, 2019]