Neolithic
settlements, royal tombs with frescoed walls, gold caskets and
gold wreaths and crowns, waterfalls, rivers, high mountains, verdant
villages and endless plains are some of the things Imathia has
to offer. Veria is the prefectural capital, a modern town that
still has several traditional neighbourhoods. In Byzantine times
it was a major center, one of the chief cities of Macedonia. Its
past importance is reflected in its 51 Byzantine and post-Byzantine
churches, many of which contain wonderful wall paintings.
 It
is only 12 kilometers northwest of Vergina, which gained world-wide
renown with the discoveries made by Professor Manolis Andronikos
there in the late 1970s. The incredible wealth of the site’s
finds led to the conclusion that Vergina was actually the first
capital of the kingdom of Macedonia, Eges.
The
excavations brought to light the acropolis, well-preserved sections
of the walls, foundations of Hellenistic houses, the palace, theater,
a temple and, to the north of the ancient city, the cemetery.
 However,
the most important monument at Vergina is the complex of royal
tombs, which were unearthed in 1977-78 in the present-day village.
The largest of them belonged to Philip II, a smaller one to a
young prince, perhaps Alexander, and the third – square in
shape – to a woman.
Many
funerary steles were found in the vicinity, bearing invaluable
inscriptions, all of them in Greek.
Philip’s
grave yielded a marble sarcophagus in which a solid gold larnax
had been placed containing the ashes of the dead man and his golden
crown. Round the box lay weapons, various vases and utensils bearing
the royal seal.
Here,
too, was buried one of Philip’s seven wives. Her bones were
also gathered in a gold larnax, in which there was another gold
crown, one of the most beautiful pieces of ancient jewelry ever
found, and a gold-weave purple cloth decorated with flowers and
birds, which is on display along with the other funeral gifts
in the Thessaloniki museum. However, something else, something
utterly unique was also discovered in the grave: a painting of
a hunting scene on an Ionian frieze. It is a masterpiece the like
of which had only previously been seen in works of the Italian
Renaissance.
 The
Prince’s tomb is very similar to that of Philip. It, too,
contains a painted frieze as well as a bed with gold and ivory
ornamentation, surely one of the most elegant creations that has
come down to us.
Finally,
the cist tomb yielded a brilliant fresco depicting Pluto’s
abduction of Persephone; this and the hunting scene are the only
original works of any great painters of antiquity that have survived
to the present.
Southwest
of Veria, on the slopes of Vermion (18km.), lies the village of
Kastanies, which is usually snowed-in during the winter. This
is the site of the monastery of the Panagia Soumela, founded by
refugees from the Pontos.
At
Kato Vermio (26 km. from Veria), all that snow is put to good
use at the Seli ski center (1.400 m. alt). A town noted for its
waterfalls, its wine, its fruit and its Carnival customs is Naoussa.
Siltuated 19 kilometers from Veria in a green, well-watered region,
it is very picturesque with traditional houses and the Arapitsa
River running through it. Near Naoussa is the village of Lefkadia,
where Macedonian tombs and the remains of Hellenistic buildings
have been found.
Finally,
9 km. northeast of Veria at Nea Nikomidia, excavations have revealed
traces of a Neolithic settlement of the 7th millennium B. C.,
which is the oldest agricultural settlement along with Sesklo
in Thessaly. The terra – cotta woman – shaped idols,
as well as many frog figurines made of steatite are among the
most interesting exhibits of the Veria Archaeological Museum.
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