Pella Attractions

Following the destruction of the town by the Romans after the battle of Pydna (196 B.C.), of which Pliny gives an account, Pélla disappeared from sight and was rediscovered only in 1957 by Makaronas and Petsas. The excavations carried out since then have been highly productive.

Coming from Salonica, we see on the right of the road, immediately after the turning for Palaiá Pélla (bus stop), the remains of a number of large buildings, between which are streets intersecting at right angles. Dating from about 300 B.C., they are laid out round colonnaded courtyards and apparently served some public function. Particularly notable is one on the right (Block 1), with an Ionic peristyle and fine mosaics, which have been left in situ. Numbers of such mosaics, composed of black, white and yellow pebbles, were found on the site. One of them, the Lion Hunt, shows Alexander the Great being saved by Krateros; two other major compositions are Dionysos riding on a panther and another hunting scene; and other scenes depict Theseus carrying off Helen while Deianeira flees, a fight with Amazons, a pair of Centaurs, etc.