Palace of Aigai: Not just a residence but a multipurpose venue

The partly restored Palace of Aigai, in northern Greece, was much more than the palace where Philip II of Macedon resided and where his son, Alexander, was proclaimed king in 336 BC before embarking on his now legendary conquests. It was a public place, where up to 8,000 people could gather in the colonnade, says Angeliki Kottaridi, the now retired archaeologist who led the restoration effort. The palace served as a combination of administration center, lecture hall, concert venue and host of religious activities. It was this palace which spurred the ancient Greek kingdom's urbanization, Kottaridi adds.