Greek pictures - Thessaloniki, Western Macedonia, Meteora. Traveling around Greece with photographs from Andrey K. All about the Pella shipyard Pella and tennis

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Stephen of Byzantium noted in his geographical treatise: Pella in Macedonia was formerly called Bounomos or Bounomeia. During the reign of the Macedonian king Alexander I (- BC), the lands of Macedonia rapidly expanded to the north and east due to the displacement and absorption of Thracian and other tribes. Under the son of Alexander I, King Perdiccas II, Pella was already part of Macedonia, and the Botti tribe moved to the Chalkidiki Peninsula. When the Thracian king Sitalkos invaded Macedonia in the 2nd half of the 5th century. BC e. , the Macedonians took refuge in a few fortresses, making guerrilla attacks against the enemy. Perhaps it was then that Perdiccas II decided to make Pella, located in a protected location, almost in the center of Emathia, his capital.

It is unknown who exactly and when moved the capital of Macedonia from the sacred Aegis to Pella, but at least the son of Perdikkas, the Macedonian king Archelaus (- BC), built a luxurious palace there, and invited the famous Greek artist Zeuxis to paint it. Euripides was buried here.

« The consul with his entire army left Pidna, the next day he was at Pella and set up a camp a mile from the city, stood there for several days, examining the location of the city from all sides, and was convinced that it was not in vain that the kings of Macedonia settled here: Pella stood on a hill overlooking winter sunset; There are swamps around it, impassable either in summer or winter - they are fed by river floods. The fortress of Fakos rises like an island among the swamps in the place where they come closest to the city; It stands on a huge embankment, capable of withstanding the weight of the walls and not suffering from the moisture of the swamps that surround it. From a distance it seems that the fortress is connected to the city wall, although in fact they are separated by a moat with water, and are connected by a bridge, so that the enemy cannot approach, and any captive imprisoned by the king could not escape except through the bridge, which is easier protect everything. There, in the fortress, there was also the royal treasury...»

After the Roman conquest of Macedonia in the 2nd century. BC e. Pella for some time remained the center of one of the 4 administrative districts into which the Romans divided Macedonia, but then the center was moved to a more conveniently located Thessaloniki, and the former capital of the Macedonian kings was abandoned. Lucian in 180 called Pella an insignificant town with a small number of inhabitants.

The fortress among the swamps did not withstand the tests of peacetime. In the 1st century BC e. an earthquake destroyed the city. Natural changes in the landscape also contributed to the oblivion of Pella. Having once been a port on the lake and having access to the Aegean Sea through the Ludium River, over time Pella turned out to be a land city.

Archeology

In our time, only ancient ruins near the town of Ayia Apostoli (Greek) reminded of the existence of Pella. Άγιοι Απόστολοι ), but there was no certainty that this was exactly the same city - the birthplace of Alexander the Great. In the city of Ayii Apostoli, located one kilometer from the ruins of the ancient city and 40 km northwest of Thessaloniki (Greek Thessaloniki or Thessaloniki Θεσσαλονίκη), changed his name to Pella.

Excavations in Greece at the supposed site of ancient Pella began in the city and continued from the city. Decorative tiles with Pella inscriptions were discovered in the city, confirming the correctness of the archaeologists' assumptions. During the excavations, a settlement of the Neolithic period (7th millennium BC), traces of a palace complex with an area of 6 hectares, and a fortress were found. All that was left of the fortress walls was a stone foundation; the walls themselves were made of mud brick, which over time turned into mud, covering the foundation.

The ancient city, with an area of about 2 km², was located south of the palace. In the center there was a large square (agora), and the city itself was regularly planned with streets 9-10 m wide intersecting at right angles. The buildings (almost 500) were one- and two-story.

Mosaic

Lion hunt (“House of Dionysus”, late 4th century BC)

Well-preserved mosaics from the early Hellenistic period have been found on the floors of some buildings.

Of particular interest are the floor mosaics of the androns, so-called. “Houses of Dionysus” (“Dionysus”, “Lion Hunt”), and “Houses of the Abduction of Helen” (“Hunting the Deer” and “Abduction of Helen” (preserved fragment)).

On the mosaic depicting a deer hunting scene there is an inscription: “γνῶσις ἐποίεσεν” (“Gnosis made”) - the author’s first autograph in the history of the mosaic.

Deer hunting (“House of the Abduction of Helen”, late 4th century BC)

This is a new level of mosaic art, which neither the masters of classical Greece knew and will not be achieved by the masters of the Hellenistic era for a long time. Here for the first time realism appears: space and volume, color is used freely. The technique involves careful selection of pebbles not only in size, but also in shape; for better detail, new materials are used - strips of clay and lead.

Pella (Greek Πέλλα) - the capital of Ancient Macedonia from the end of the 5th to the middle of the 2nd century. BC e., birthplace of Alexander the Great.

The name Pella was first mentioned by Herodotus when describing the campaign of the Persian king Xerxes against Greece in 480 BC. e.; Herodotus named Pella a city located in the region of Bottiea, inhabited by the Botti tribe. Stephen of Byzantium noted in his geographical treatise: Pella in Macedonia was formerly called Bounomos or Bounomeia. During the reign of the Macedonian king Alexander I (498-454 BC), the lands of Macedonia rapidly expanded to the north and east due to the displacement and absorption of Thracian and other tribes. Under the son of Alexander I, King Perdiccas II, Pella was already part of Macedonia, and the Botti tribe moved to the Chalkidiki Peninsula. When the Thracian king Sitalkos invaded Macedonia in the 2nd half of the 5th century. BC e., the Macedonians took refuge in a few fortresses, making partisan attacks against the enemy. Perhaps it was then that Perdiccas II decided to make Pella, located in a protected location, almost in the center of Emathia, his capital. It is unknown who exactly and when moved the capital of Macedonia from the sacred Aegis to Pella, but at least the son of Perdikkas, the Macedonian king Archelaus (413-399 BC), built a luxurious palace there, and invited a famous Greek artist to paint it Zeuxis. Euripides was buried here. At the beginning of the 4th century. BC e. Pella became the largest city in Macedonia, the place where its kings lived, although the former capital of Aega continued to carry out ritual functions. The Macedonians at that time called relatively small fortresses cities, and, unlike other Greeks, they themselves lived primarily in rural areas. The heyday of Pella, judging by archaeological finds, occurred at the end of the 4th century. BC e., under the successors of Alexander the Great. The great conqueror himself spent only a few months in Macedonia after ascending the throne. The only description of the city in the 2nd century. BC e. left Titus Livy: “The consul with his entire army left Pidna, the next day he was at Pella and set up a camp a mile from the city, stood there for several days, examining the location of the city from all sides, and was convinced that it was not in vain that the kings of Macedonia settled here: Pella is standing on a hill overlooking the winter sunset; There are swamps around it, impassable either in summer or winter - they are fed by river floods. The fortress of Fakos rises like an island among the swamps in the place where they come closest to the city; It stands on a huge embankment, capable of withstanding the weight of the walls and not suffering from the moisture of the swamps that surround it. From a distance it seems that the fortress is connected to the city wall, although in fact they are separated by a moat with water, and are connected by a bridge, so that the enemy cannot approach, and any captive imprisoned by the king could not escape except through the bridge, which is easier protect everything. There, in the fortress, there was also the royal treasury...” After the Roman conquest of Macedonia in the 2nd century. BC e. Pella for some time remained the center of one of the 4 administrative districts into which the Romans divided Macedonia...

We return towards Veria to the crossing of Aliakmon, but we do not cross the river, but turn left and drive along this road along the river to the monastery. Here, on the slope of the high bank of Aliacmon, at the foot of Mount Pieria, is located Monastery of John the Baptist .

The history of the monastery is lost in the depths of centuries. It is known that here in the 9th century. St. Clement of Ohrid, one of the “developers” of the Cyrillic alphabet, took monastic vows. In the monastery, according to its own will, the head of the saint is kept as a relic.

By the 14th century this region is falling into disrepair. At this time, the great enlightener Saint Gregory Palamas and his disciples settled in the caves near the monastery. In the same years, Saint Athanasius also passed through the monastery of the Baptist, who later founded the Great Meteor monastery.

In the 16th century From Holy Mount Athos, Saint Dionysius, abbot of the Philotheus Monastery, came to these places and founded a cenobitic monastery here. Later, unwilling to give in to the demands of the inhabitants of Veria, who insisted that the saint become their bishop, Dionysius withdrew and subsequently founded the monastery of the Holy Trinity on Olympus, which today bears his name. Saint Nikephoros, founder of the monastery in Zavorda (region of Grevena), was a friend and associate of Saint Dionysius.

In total, the memory of twelve saints, one way or another connected with the monastery, is honored here. All of them visited the monastery, lived for a long time or for a short time under the shadow of the monastery of John the Baptist.

After the uprising in Naoussa in 1822, the Turks burned all the monasteries in the area, including this one. However, the monks were able to hide the relics in time. When they returned, they found only scorched lands. Everything was restored only by 1835. Today, the monastery has the appearance it acquired at that time.

In front of the entrance to the monastery there is a gazebo with a spring. Entering the gate inside the fortress walls of the monastery, we will find ourselves in the first monastery courtyard. Peacocks walk around here, and in the monastery shop you can buy whatever you like. Moreover, during our arrival the seller was not there, and we could take the selected items and throw money for them into a box adapted for this purpose. I purchased a pilgrim's guide and a CD of church hymns here.

Further behind another gate is a second courtyard. There is a refectory and a synodal hall here. On the left is the entrance to the cave. Even further away is the katholikon, the main temple. This is a three-nave basilica dedicated to the Beheading of the Venerable Head of John the Baptist. To the left of the church is a spring; the gazebo built above it serves today as a bell tower. Opposite the temple there is a wing with cells. The newly built terrace next to the church offers wonderful views of the Alyacmon River and the mountains.

If you go further along the low corridor, you can get to the western wing of the monastery. We were not there and I don’t know if this passage is accessible to visitors to the monastery. Here are located the monastic cells as well as the building where the seminary functioned for ten years until 1915. At the end is the old catholicon of the monastery, built in 1622.

Outside the monastery, in the west, there is a waterfall, and behind it the caves in which the holy inhabitants of the monastery lived, including Gregory Palamas.

; Herodotus named Pella a city located in the region of Bottiea, inhabited by the Botti tribe.

« The consul with his entire army left Pidna, the next day he was at Pella and set up a camp a mile from the city, stood there for several days, examining the location of the city from all sides, and was convinced that it was not in vain that the kings of Macedonia settled here: Pella stood on a hill overlooking winter sunset; There are swamps around it, impassable either in summer or winter - they are fed by river floods. The fortress of Fakos rises like an island among the swamps in the place where they come closest to the city; It stands on a huge embankment, capable of withstanding the weight of the walls and not suffering from the moisture of the swamps that surround it. From a distance it seems that the fortress is connected to the city wall, although in fact they are separated by a moat with water, and are connected by a bridge, so that the enemy cannot approach, and any captive imprisoned by the king could not escape except through the bridge, which is easier protect everything. There, in the fortress, there was also the royal treasury...»

The fortress among the swamps did not withstand the tests of peacetime. In the 1st century BC e. an earthquake destroyed the city. Natural changes in the landscape also contributed to the oblivion of Pella. Having once been a port on a lake and having access to the Aegean Sea through the Ludium River, over time Pella turned out to be a land city.

Archeology

Mosaic

Well-preserved mosaics from the early Hellenistic period have been found on the floors of some buildings.

On the mosaic depicting a deer hunting scene there is an inscription: “γνῶσις ἐποίεσεν” (“Gnosis made”) - the author’s first autograph in the history of the mosaic.

This is explained by the fact that master Gnosis was guided in his art by contemporary realistic painting, while others, both early and late masters, oriented mosaics more towards red-figure vase painting with its predominantly two-color color scheme and planar graphics.

Pella mosaics are the pinnacle of the art of pebble mosaics, and although pebbles would still be used in the 3rd-2nd centuries. BC e., it is becoming obsolete as a material for artistic works.

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Metivier shrugged his shoulders and approached Mademoiselle Bourienne, who had come running in response to the scream from the next room.
“The prince is not entirely healthy,” la bile et le transport au cerveau. Tranquillisez vous, je repasserai demain, [bile and rush to the brain. Calm down, I’ll come by tomorrow,” said Metivier and, putting his finger to his lips, he hurriedly left.
Outside the door one could hear footsteps in shoes and shouts: “Spies, traitors, traitors everywhere! There is no moment of peace in your home!”
After Metivier left, the old prince called his daughter to him and the full force of his anger fell on her. It was her fault that a spy was allowed in to see him. .After all, he said, he told her to make a list, and those who were not on the list should not be allowed in. Why did they let this scoundrel in! She was the reason for everything. With her he could not have a moment of peace, he could not die in peace, he said.
- No, mother, disperse, disperse, you know that, you know! “I can’t do it anymore,” he said and left the room. And as if afraid that she would not be able to console herself somehow, he returned to her and, trying to assume a calm appearance, added: “And don’t think that I told you this in a moment of my heart, but I am calm, and I have thought it over; and it will be - disperse, look for a place for yourself!... - But he could not stand it and with that bitterness that can only be in a person who loves, he, apparently suffering himself, shook his fists and shouted to her:
- And at least some fool would marry her! “He slammed the door, called m lle Bourienne to him and fell silent in the office.
At two o'clock the chosen six persons arrived for dinner. The guests—the famous Count Rostopchin, Prince Lopukhin and his nephew, General Chatrov, the prince’s old comrade in arms, and young Pierre and Boris Drubetskoy—were waiting for him in the living room.
The other day, Boris, who came to Moscow on vacation, wished to be introduced to Prince Nikolai Andreevich and managed to gain his favor to such an extent that the prince made an exception for him from all the single young people whom he did not accept.
The prince’s house was not what is called “light,” but it was such a small circle that, although it was unheard of in the city, it was most flattering to be accepted into it. Boris understood this a week ago, when in his presence Rostopchin told the commander-in-chief, who called the count to dinner on St. Nicholas Day, that he could not be:
“On this day I always go to venerate the relics of Prince Nikolai Andreich.
“Oh yes, yes,” answered the commander-in-chief. - What he?..
The small company gathered in the old-fashioned, tall, old-furnished living room before dinner looked like a solemn council of a court of justice. Everyone was silent and if they spoke, they spoke quietly. Prince Nikolai Andreich came out serious and silent. Princess Marya seemed even more quiet and timid than usual. The guests were reluctant to address her because they saw that she had no time for their conversations. Count Rostopchin alone held the thread of the conversation, talking about the latest city and political news.
Lopukhin and the old general occasionally took part in the conversation. Prince Nikolai Andreich listened as the chief judge listened to the report that was being made to him, only occasionally declaring in silence or a short word that he was taking note of what was being reported to him. The tone of the conversation was such that it was clear that no one approved of what was being done in the political world. They talked about events that obviously confirmed that everything was going from bad to worse; but in every story and judgment it was striking how the narrator stopped or was stopped every time at the border where the judgment could relate to the person of the sovereign emperor.
During dinner, the conversation turned to the latest political news, about Napoleon's seizure of the possessions of the Duke of Oldenburg and about the Russian note hostile to Napoleon, sent to all European courts.
“Bonaparte treats Europe like a pirate on a conquered ship,” said Count Rostopchin, repeating a phrase he had already spoken several times. - You are only surprised at the long-suffering or blindness of sovereigns. Now it comes to the Pope, and Bonaparte no longer hesitates to overthrow the head of the Catholic religion, and everyone is silent! One of our sovereigns protested against the seizure of the possessions of the Duke of Oldenburg. And then...” Count Rostopchin fell silent, feeling that he was standing at the point where it was no longer possible to judge.
“They offered other possessions instead of the Duchy of Oldenburg,” said Prince Nikolai Andreich. “Just as I resettled men from Bald Mountains to Bogucharovo and Ryazan, so he did the dukes.”
“Le duc d"Oldenbourg supporte son malheur avec une force de caractere et une resignation admirable, [The Duke of Oldenburg bears his misfortune with remarkable willpower and submission to fate," said Boris, respectfully entering into the conversation. He said this because he was passing through from St. Petersburg had the honor of introducing himself to the Duke. Prince Nikolai Andreich looked at the young man as if he would like to say something to him about this, but changed his mind, considering him too young for that.
“I read our protest about the Oldenburg case and was surprised at the poor wording of this note,” said Count Rostopchin, in the careless tone of a man judging a case well known to him.
Pierre looked at Rostopchin with naive surprise, not understanding why he was bothered by the poor edition of the note.
– Doesn’t it matter how the note is written, Count? - he said, - if its content is strong.
“Mon cher, avec nos 500 mille hommes de troupes, il serait facile d"avoir un beau style, [My dear, with our 500 thousand troops it seems easy to express ourselves in a good style,] said Count Rostopchin. Pierre understood why Count Rostopchin was worried about the edition of the note.
“It seems that the scribblers are pretty busy,” said the old prince: “they write everything there in St. Petersburg, not just notes, but they write new laws all the time.” My Andryusha wrote a whole lot of laws for Russia there. Nowadays they write everything! - And he laughed unnaturally.
The conversation fell silent for a minute; The old general drew attention to himself by clearing his throat.
– Did you deign to hear about the latest event at the show in St. Petersburg? How the new French envoy showed himself!
- What? Yes, I heard something; he said something awkwardly in front of His Majesty.
“His Majesty drew his attention to the grenadier division and the ceremonial march,” continued the general, “and it was as if the envoy did not pay any attention and seemed to allow himself to say that in France we do not pay attention to such trifles.” The Emperor did not deign to say anything. At the next review, they say, the sovereign never deigned to address him.
Everyone fell silent: no judgment could be expressed on this fact, which related personally to the sovereign.
- Daring! - said the prince. – Do you know Metivier? I drove him away from me today. He was here, they let me in, no matter how much I asked not to let anyone in,” said the prince, looking angrily at his daughter. And he told his whole conversation with the French doctor and the reasons why he was convinced that Metivier was a spy. Although these reasons were very insufficient and unclear, no one objected.
Champagne was served along with the roast. The guests rose from their seats, congratulating the old prince. Princess Marya also approached him.

You've probably heard more than once about a certain Macedonian state? In any case, about its king - the great Alexander the Great, for sure. So this is the city Pella- the ancient capital of the great Macedonian kingdom, the place where Alexander the Great was actually born.

During the reign of Philip II and Alexander the Great, Pella flourished and was the largest city in Macedonia. Today, the ruins of an ancient family lie in the very center of the region, 40 km from. Every year, many tourists come here to wander around the once thriving rich city.

The excavation site is a huge archaeological park and museum, on the territory of which the ruins of the city that have reached us are located. Here you can see sanctuary of Aphrodite And Temple of Demeter, as well as the famous palace ruins with mosaic floors. These mosaics are one of Pella's main treasures. Made from river pebbles, they depict pictures of the daily life of the ancient Greeks and events from myths - the abduction of Helen the Beautiful, the battle of the Amazons or a deer hunt. All researchers and experts unanimously declare that this level of skill was not only rare in the ancient world, but also the mosaic technique itself significantly influenced the development of art in Greece - for the first time, the image appears “volumetric” thanks to the use of pebbles of different shades. By the way, pay attention to how skillfully the pebbles are matched to each other - not only in size, but also in shape!

Another local attraction is the central square of ancient Pella - the Agora - designed by the famous Greek architect Hippodamus. Despite the ancient age, the agora had its own water supply and sewerage system. Around the main square are the ruins of once luxurious houses in the Doric and Ionic styles, and there is also a low hill in the center of the city Acropolis and the ruins of a palace complex with a total area of almost 6 hectares - there was plenty of room to turn around!... The large, rectangular area of the agora was surrounded by Doric porticos, behind which there were shops and pottery workshops; to the north of the square there was a temple of Aphrodite with ritual halls and a Sanctuary of nymphs.

Most of the unique mosaics and other artifacts found during the excavations are now stored in, which lies across the road from the main excavation area. The museum contains a collection of more than 3 thousand exhibits: jewelry made of gold and precious stones, magnificent ancient exhibits - architectural and topographical drawings, vases, statues and figurines, coins of the Hellenistic and Macedonian periods, and much more.

On the territory of the museum there is a cafe where you can have a snack and a cup of coffee, and there is also a souvenir shop. Entrance to the archaeological site is 6 euros (including museum admission).

Greek pictures - Thessaloniki, Western Macedonia, Meteora. Traveling around Greece with photographs from Andrey K. All about the Pella shipyard Pella and tennis

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