The Museum of the Royal Tombs - Vergina

Todays post boys and girls, is a history lesson and the subject is  Philip II – father  of Alexander the Great.

I have to confess that I know very little, if nothing at all, about either of these great men or indeed the way of life or death at the time. The museum/exhibition at the burial ground of Philip was an eye opener and I learnt  a lot.

When I read of dates ‘ BC ‘, I am always fascinated by the skills and knowledge of the people of those times. Some of the items in the museum took my breath away. The gold wreaths are truly  stunning and so so intricate. The photos simply couldn't show the minutiae of detail . Philips armour was nothing short  of a work of art. How did they do all this a couple of thousand years ago with such precision? My mind boggles!

Their beliefs in life after death were strong and they planned accordingly for the journey into the after life. Prized possessions,  weapons, food and water were all part of the funeral  procedure. Just as the Egyptians but the difference being their bodies were cremated and not mummified.

This particular site at Vergina is the burial ground of Philip II. So, a bit of background on him..........

He was the king of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia, Greece,  from 359 BC until his  death in 336 BC. He was a true warrior and spent most of his life at war. By the time of his death, he had turned Macedonia into the leading power of his day, changing the course of history.

After his death, his son, Alexander  (now known as Alexander the Great) succeeded him.

He had seven  wives throughout his life, all members of royalty from foreign dynasties.

At the age of 46, he was assassinated in October 336 BC whilst celebrating the marriage of his daughter Cleopatra of Macedon to Alexander I of Epirus. He was stabbed in the ribs by one of his seven bodyguards. The assassin subsequently stabbed to death by the other 6 bodyguards.   The exact reason for the assassination is unclear and has changed, been exaggerated and embellished over the  centuries.

I've made the decision for this post to include the written details for some of the exhibits, purely because I feel, in this instance,  they do a better  job than I could . Up to you if you choose to read them. I did. It made sense of all that I was looking at. But you'll  be relieved to know that I won't  be testing  you anytime soon 😂

Muse for this post : You are NEVER too old to learn.