Pella prefecture
Pella (Greek: Πέλλα) is one of the 51 prefectures of Greece. Its capital town is Edessa commonly known as Vodena.
History
Pella was the palace-capital of ancient Macedonia since the times of Archelaus I of Macedon, the seat of Philip II of Macedon and of Alexander the Great, his son. In 168 BC Pella was sacked by the Romans, and its treasury was transported to Rome. Later the city was destroyed by an earthquake and eventually was rebuilt over its ruins. In 180 AD Lucian could describe it in passing as "now insignificant, with very few inhabitants".
Geography
The mountains lie to the north and the southwest especially the Vermio mountains, the Voras mountains to the northwest and the Paiko mountains to the northeast. Pella is bounded with the prefectures of Kilkis to the northeast, Thessaloniki to the east, Imathia to the south, Kozani to the southwest, Lake Vegolitida to the southwest, Florina to the west and the former Yugoslav Republic of "Macedonia" to the north with the district of Brod to the northwest and Gevgeli to the northeast.
Archaeology
In the base of the description of Titus Livius, the site was excavated by voyagers including Holand, Pouqueville, Beaujour, Cousinéry, Delacoulonche, Hahn, Glotz and Struck in the 19th century. The first excavation began by G. Oikonomos in 1914-1915, the systematic exploration of the site began in 1953 and excavated in 1957. The first series of campaigns were completed in 1963 including more excavations in 1980 and still continue in the agora part. In the late 1970s archaeologist Manolis Andronikos discovered the grave of Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great. Among the findings was a golden box with the golden Vergina Star (which was an apple of discord between Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) in the early 1990s inscribed on it.
Agriculture
Agriculture is very common to the south and mainly produces fruits.
Transportation
Municipalities
| Municipality | YPES code | Seat | Postal code | Area code ((0)30-) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aridaia | 4101 | Aridaia | 584 00 | 23840-2 |
| Edessa | 4104 | Edessa | 582 00 | 23810-2 |
| Exaplatanos | 4105 | Exaplatanos | 580 04 | 23840-4 |
| Giannitsa | 4103 | Giannitsa | 581 00 | 23820-2 |
| Kria Vrissi | 4106 | Kria Vrissi | 583 00 | 23820-6 |
| Kyrros | 4107 | Neos Mylopotamos | 581 00 | 23820-51 |
| Megas Alexandros | 4108 | Galatades | 583 00 | 23820-43 |
| Meniida | 4109 | Kali | 585 00 | 23810-41 |
| Pella | 4100 | Pella | 580 05 | 23820-3 |
| Skydra | 4111 | Skydra | 585 00 | 23820-8 |
| Vegoritida | 4102 | Arnissa | 580 02 | 23810-31 |
See also: List of settlements in the Pella prefecture
References
- Ch. J. Makaronas, Pella: Capital of Ancient Macedonia, pp 59-65, in Scientific American, Special Issue, Ancient Cities, c 1994.
- Ph. Petsas, Pella. Alexander the Great's Capital, Thessaloniki, 1977.
- D. Papakonstandinou-Diamandourou, Πέλλα. ιστορική επισκόπησις και μαρτυρίαι Pella istoriki episkopisis kai martyriai (, in Greek), Thessaloniki, 1971.
- R. Ginouvès e. a., La Macédoine, CNRS Éditions, Paris, 1993, 90-98.
- F. Papazoglou, Les villes de Macédoine romaine, BCH Suppl. 16, 1988, 135-139.