Vergina, in northern Greece, occupies the site of ancient Aigai — believed to be the first capital of the Macedonian kingdom — and is home to a cluster of royal burial mounds that have yielded some of the most spectacular archaeological finds of the 20th century. Beneath a large earthen tumulus, visitors today can descend into the Great Tumulus museum complex, where several royal tombs remain in situ under climate-controlled conditions. The most celebrated of these is the tomb widely attributed to Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, which was unearthed by Greek archaeologist Manolis Andronikos in 1977 and found to contain golden burial caskets, armor, ivory carvings, and painted frescoes. The tomb's facade is famously decorated with the sixteen-pointed sunburst motif now known as the Vergina Star, which became a potent symbol of ancient Macedonian identity. Gates visited Vergina during his search for Alexander the Great's lost tomb, using Philip II's burial chamber as a vivid reference point — and personal benchmark — for the scale of riches that might accompany Alexander himself, wherever he rests.
Aigai established as the early capital of the Macedonian kingdom, according to ancient sources and modern scholarship
Philip II of Macedon assassinated; believed to have been interred in the royal tombs at Aigai shortly after
Archaeologist Manolis Andronikos excavates the Great Tumulus and uncovers the tomb widely attributed to Philip II, described as one of the most significant Greek archaeological discoveries of the 20th century
Vergina inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Gates visits Vergina as part of his investigation into the location of Alexander the Great's tomb, featured in Expedition Unknown S13E02
The royal tombs at Vergina represent a turning point in the archaeology of ancient Macedonia. When Manolis Andronikos opened the tomb now widely attributed to Philip II in 1977, he found it unlooted — an almost unheard-of circumstance for a site of this age and prominence. The contents, including a golden larnax (burial casket) bearing the Vergina Star, gilded armor, and remarkably preserved ivory portrait medallions, offered scholars their first direct physical evidence of Macedonian royal burial customs. The attribution to Philip II remains the consensus view, though some researchers have debated whether the tomb might instead belong to Philip III Arrhidaeus, Alexander's half-brother — a reminder that even headline archaeological discoveries can carry lingering questions.
Mainstream archaeology holds that Vergina is almost certainly ancient Aigai, the ceremonial heartland of the Macedonian kingdom even after the political capital shifted to Pella. The site's significance goes beyond any single tomb: the burial complex reflects a tradition of royal pageantry and ancestor veneration that shaped Macedonian political identity for generations. Alexander himself returned to Aigai to perform rites at his father's tomb before embarking on his Persian campaign, according to ancient sources.
What Vergina cannot answer — and what Gates makes clear in his episode — is the far larger question of where Alexander himself ended up. The episode positions Vergina as prologue rather than destination: a place that illuminates what kind of burial a Macedonian king would have received, and therefore what investigators should be looking for elsewhere. Gates' narration is candid that the real search lies hundreds of miles to the southeast, in Alexandria, Egypt, where ancient geographer Strabo described an immense tomb with a pyramid roof that has since been swallowed by two millennia of urban construction.
The Vergina site itself is well-documented and not in serious dispute among scholars — it is the departure point for the mystery, not the mystery itself. Gates uses it exactly that way: as grounded, visible, treasure-filled evidence that the stakes of finding Alexander's tomb are very real indeed.
The tomb widely attributed to Philip II was found unlooted in 1977 — an extraordinary rarity for an ancient royal burial of this prominence.
The sixteen-pointed sunburst symbol discovered on the golden burial casket inside the tomb became known as the Vergina Star and is regarded as a symbol of ancient Macedonian identity.
Archaeologist Manolis Andronikos had been excavating at Vergina for years before the 1977 discovery, which came near the end of a dig season he had nearly called off.
Ancient Aigai remained the ceremonial capital of Macedon even after Pella became the administrative center — Macedonian kings continued to be buried at Aigai by tradition.
The Great Tumulus archaeological museum at Vergina is generally open to the public and allows visitors to walk beneath the earthen mound and view the royal tombs in their original positions, along with artifacts displayed on-site. The museum is located near the modern village of Vergina, roughly accessible by car from Thessaloniki. Check current Greek Ministry of Culture advisories for seasonal hours and admission fees before visiting.
Thessaloniki, approximately 70 kilometers to the east.
Late spring through early autumn tends to offer the most favorable weather for visiting northern Greece, with warm temperatures and long daylight hours. Summer months can attract larger tourist crowds, so late May or September may offer a more relaxed experience.
UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed 1996)
Alexandria
Alexandria is the primary focus of Gates' S13E02 investigation — the city where Alexander the Great's tomb is believed to have once stood, and the destination that Vergina's prologue sequences lead toward.
Kingdom of Kush Pyramid Tombs
The Kingdom of Kush pyramid tombs represent another tradition of royal burial in the ancient world that Gates has investigated, offering thematic parallels to the Macedonian royal tomb complex at Vergina.
Rome
Rome appears in Gates' broader investigations of the ancient Mediterranean world, connecting to the overlapping empires and civilizations that intersected with Alexander the Great's legacy.