Ancient Pella - Archaeological Investigation
The first excavation took place in 1914-5 by the Ephor of Antiquities of Macedonia, George P. Oikonomos, and brought to light two houses of the Hellenistic city. In 1957, after the accidental discovery of part of a column in the basement of a house of the village, trial trenches were carried out which yielded part of the house of Dionysos. Until 1963 Ch. Makaronas and F. Petsas excavated parts of the Agora (market place) and the nearby houses. The famous mosaic floors that are housed nowadays in the Archaeological Museum of Pella were among the finds of their excavations. The two archaeologists carried out trial trenches on the hill north of the city and brought to light parts of various buildings and among them the northern part of Building I of the palace. Furthermore, they investigated the area south of the city, near isle Fakos, and uncovered part of the fortification.
The systematic excavation of the Agora by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, directed by professor of Classical Archaeology, J.M. Akamatis, started in 1980 and brought to light an enormous area with a central courtyard, stoai (porticoes) at its four sides with buildings used for shops, workshops, rooms to house the magistrates for the administration and the archive of the city. The restoration and enhancement project of the Agora finished in 2015.
Implementation Institutes
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