Day 7

Day 7: Exploring Greek Gods & The Tomb of Philip II

Today started promptly, at 8 am after getting breakfast in the hotel. We met Eleni again for what would surely be a great day. With a forecast of 80 degrees and sunny, we couldn't ask for much better weather. We ventured out by bus towards the center of Greece, where we would be visiting the Museum of the Royal Tombs of Aigai and later the Dion Archeological Park. 

It took about an hour and fifteen minutes to travel by bus to the museum where Philip II (the father of Alexander the Great) is buried. Much of the area we traveled through to get to the museum was once part of Macedonia, of which both of these kings ruled. It wasn't the average museum, as it was built around the tombs that were discovered. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures inside the museum, but it was a sight to be seen. We also learned a lot about each of the tombs that we investigated!

Our first stop at the Museum of Royal Tombs 

These four tombs which comprise this site were discovered in the late 1970s; two of them left largely intact from their original state from the 3rd century B.C. Philip II, the Mother of Thessaloniki and the son of Philip II (Philip III) were all buried in these tombs. They were each buried alongside their prized gold and silver possessions such as crowns, jewelry, and even gold-plated armor. 







It was assumed that Philip II was murdered in order for Alexander the Great to take the throne. Philip III was set to be in line to ascend to the throne after Philip II, doing so for six years - only to be murdered, probably so that Alexander would be able to ascend to the throne. It was expressed to us that this was extremely rare to find tombs in such great condition. We also learned that Greek Macedonia (otherwise known as Southern Macedonia) is where most of the ruins from the Ancient Macedonian Kingdom can be found.

The entrance to the museum, which was built underground

After leaving the museum around 10:30, we stopped at a cafe where a few of us tried some Bugatsa, a traditional Greek dish that is like a pastry with cream. I thought it was incredibly tasty. Then, at about 10:45 or so we set out for Dion to learn more about the Greek Gods and their significance. Dion lies very close to the base of Mount Olympus, the highest peak in Greece.

Tasty Bugatsa!

We arrived in Dion at about noon. Upon arriving we began to explore the Archaeological Park of Dion. The site that the Park sits on was a site of worship for the ancient civilizations in the 5th Century B.C. It remained a religious center until the 5th century A.D. The site was destroyed by flooding and is assumed to have been left untouched until discovered by archaeologists in more recent times, which they have had to re-excavate multiple times due to flooding. To his date, Dion is an active archaeological site.

  

   

It took us about an hour and a half to get back to our hotel in Thessaloniki. From there we had a little while to regroup and then we went for a walk down the Old Port section of the city to look at a castle from the Byzantine era. To finish up the night, we all went to get dinner and many of us also went for pastries and gelato after. All in all, today was a great day. Can't wait for what is to follow tomorrow!