Tomb of Philip ΙΙ, Macedonian royal tomb in Vergina, Veria municipality, Greece
The Tomb of Philip II is a royal Macedonian burial structure located at Vergina, in the Veria municipality of northern Greece. It consists of several underground chambers with stone walls and a painted facade, built in the style common to royal construction of the 4th century BC.
Excavations at Vergina began in 1861 under French archaeologist Léon Heuzey, sponsored by Napoleon III, and resumed in 1937 and the 1950s. In 1977 Manolis Andronikos uncovered four tombs in the Great Tumulus, including the intact Tomb II. The identification of Philip II rests on a 360–310 BC date range, two bronze greaves of different sizes matching his lameness, and a skull injury consistent with the loss of his right eye.
The gold chest in the tomb, with its five white flower ornaments and lion-paw feet, is a larnax holding the cremated bones. The site lies within the UNESCO-listed royal necropolis of Aigai, where Macedonian kings were buried. Excavations since 1861, including Léon Heuzey's French mission, preceded Manolis Andronikos's 1977 discovery.
The tomb is now housed inside the Museum of the Royal Tombs of Aigai at Vergina, which is open throughout the year. Visitors can walk through the interior spaces, and the site is largely accessible, though some areas have uneven ground.
The tomb was sealed beneath a large earthen mound that kept grave robbers away for over 2,000 years. When Andronikos opened it, the contents were still largely in place, making it one of the very few royal burials of that era found intact.
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