Ancient Pella
Πέλλα
Greece · Central Macedonia, Pella
In brief
Excavations of the Macedonian capital have uncovered houses with large courtyards, a palace and commercial buildings. Current research examines the city's houses and the lives of its inhabitants during the Classical and Hellenistic periods.
What was found?
- 1Lion hunt mosaic of the House of Dionysos
The pavement, dating to the late 4th century BC, depicts a lion hunt. It is an important example of figural decoration used in elite residences.
- 2Hellenistic agora
The colonnaded galleries around the central courtyard housed shops, workshops, administrative rooms, and the city archive. It shows that trade and civic administration were combined within the same building complex.
- 3Remains of palace buildings
Various sections of the palace were uncovered on the hill north of the city. Architectural pieces from the palace, such as a Doric capital, help explain the arrangement of the buildings.
- 4Section of the city wall
A section of the defensive wall was found south of the city, near Fakos. It provides physical evidence of the settlement's defensive arrangements.
- 5Painted residential wall
The wall, dating to the early 3rd century BC, bears painted decoration that reproduces architectural details. It documents the visual language used in domestic interiors.
What does it point to?
Pella's agora shows that production, trade, and recordkeeping were carried out as interconnected activities. The mosaics and painted walls reveal the labor and artistic skill devoted to the city's elite residences.
What did it teach us?
- Showed that the Hellenistic agora had administrative and archival functions alongside trade.
- Enabled an understanding of Macedonian urban life through the joint study of palace buildings and residences.
- Documented the use of both mosaics and wall paintings in domestic decoration.
Images



Record
- Culture
- Ancient Macedonian
- First modern dig
- 1914
- Team / historical
- Pella Eski Eserler Dairesi ve Michigan Üniversitesi; Lisa Nevett ve David Stone
- Coordinates
- 40.7547°, 22.5211°
Sources
- palaceofpella.gr
- en.wikipedia.org
- sites.lsa.umich.edu
- lsa.umich.edu
- Pella Eski Eserler Müdürlüğü — Arkeoloji Müzesi
Nearby excavations
- Aigai 36 km
- Ancient Dion 64 km
- Stobi 100 km
- Philippi 151 km
- Sanctuary of Dodona 199 km
- Butrint 240 km
- —
- —
- 12.000
From beneath the soil: latest discoveries
- Three boats dating back about 1,800 years found in an old riverbed in Beijing
Three wooden boats dating to the Han and Jin periods were uncovered in the old Yongding River bed. According to researchers, a stamp meaning “official” on the fragments indicates the boats’ connection to the state and provides rare evidence of river transport during the period.
HeritageDaily ↗ - Great Wall remains from the Sui Dynasty identified in Beijing for the first time
Coins and porcelain found during excavations at Changping Gudalinggou allowed part of the defensive structure to be dated to the Sui period, AD 581-618. The discovery helps explain the development of early defensive lines around Beijing.
HeritageDaily ↗ - Remains of a palace and Buddhist monastery uncovered at Bala Hisar in Kabul
Excavations at Bala Hisar identified a Mughal-period palace with wall paintings and bathing areas, along with older Buddhist monastery structures. The remains shed light on the fortress’s religious and political uses in different periods; the exact dates of the Buddhist structures have not yet been determined.
HeritageDaily ↗ - Rare chromosomal anomaly detected in 1,600-year-old infant remains in Peru
An extra copy of chromosome 13 was found in the DNA of an infant buried in a ceramic jar at Jauranga; this finding explains the rare developmental abnormality in the skull. According to researchers, the burial does not provide sufficient evidence that the infant received different treatment because of a congenital difference.
Arkeofili ↗ - 243 ancient genomes reveal Roman-period population changes in the Iberian Peninsula
243 ancient genomes obtained from 31 archaeological sites revealed population movements linked to the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa during the Roman period. According to researchers, post-Roman migrations had a more limited genetic impact; the study also identified two siblings buried about 725 kilometres apart.
Arkeofili ↗ - Possible ancient name of newly discovered Maya city in Mexico deciphered
According to researchers, inscriptions at Minanbé indicate that the city's ancient name was Sakil and that it was ruled by a ruler named Suutz’. A connection with an inscription at neighboring Ocomtún also sheds light on conflicts between the two cities.
HeritageDaily ↗ - Around 100 stone hand axes found in Botswana's Kalahari Desert
Research in the Okwa Valley uncovered around 100 hand axes belonging to the Acheulean tool tradition, along with stone fragments left over from their production. The finds, whose exact ages have yet to be determined, will help researchers understand how early humans used ancient lakeshores and made their tools.
HeritageDaily ↗ - 5th-century graves containing weapons, valuable jewelry and two horses found in France
Excavations at Horbourg-Wihr uncovered 14 graves belonging to adults and children, along with two horse burials; finds include a sword, a shield, and gold and silver jewelry. According to researchers, the cemetery expands the limited evidence about communities in Alsace between the end of Roman rule and the beginning of the Merovingian period.
HeritageDaily ↗
All excavation sites (465)
Türkiye
- Acemhöyük
- Aizanoi
- Alabanda
- Alacahöyük
- Amos
- Ani
- Aphrodisias
- Arslantepe Mound
- Aspendos
- Assos
- Ayanis Fortress
- Aşıklı Höyük
- Barcın Höyük
- Blaundus
- Boncuklu Höyük
- Can Hasan I
- Carchemish
- Claros Sanctuary
- Clazomenae
- Domuztepe
- Ephesus
- Euromus
- Gordion
- Göbekli Tepe
- Hadrianopolis in Paphlagonia
- Hattusha
- Hierapolis
- Iasos
- Kaman-Kalehöyük
- Karahantepe
- Karatepe-Aslantaş
- Kaunos
- Kibyra
- Knidos
- Kültepe-Kanesh
- Laodicea on the Lycus
- Letoon Sanctuary
- Limyra
- Magnesia on the Maeander
- Medieval City of Beçin
- Metropolis in Ionia
- Miletus
- Myra
- Nemrut Dağ
- Nysa on the Maeander
- Olympus in Lycia
- Oymaağaç Höyük — Nerik
- Patara
- Pergamon
- Perge
- Phaselis
- Priene
- Sagalassos
- Sanctuary of Apollo at Didyma
- Sanctuary of Labraunda
- Sapinuwa
- Sardis
- Sayburç
- Side
- Stratonikeia
- Tell Atchana – Alalakh
- Teos
- Tripolis on the Meander
- Troy
- Uluburun Shipwreck
- Xanthos
- Yenikapı – Theodosian Harbour Excavations
- Yeşilova Höyük
- Yumuktepe
- Zerzevan Castle
- Zeugma
- Zincirli Höyük — Sam'al
- Çatalhöyük
- Çavuştepe Fortress
- Çayönü
- Çukuriçi Höyük
Greece
- Acropolis of Athens
- Aigai
- Akrotiri
- Ancient Corinth
- Ancient Dion
- Ancient Gortyn
- Ancient Messene
- Ancient Pella
- Antikythera Shipwreck
- Delos
- Delphi
- Gournia Minoan Settlement
- Heraion of Samos
- Knossos
- Mycenae
- Olympia
- Palace and Settlement of Zakros
- Palace of Malia
- Palace of Nestor at Pylos
- Phaistos
- Philippi
- Sanctuary of Apollo at Despotiko
- Sanctuary of Artemis at Amarynthos
- Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus
- Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore at Eleusis
- Sanctuary of Dodona
- Sanctuary of the Great Gods at Samothrace
- Tiryns
- Zominthos