Central Macedonia Greece – Where the local past becomes the global future By So a Bournatzi
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n the beginning of time, the mighty Gods dominated peoples’ lives from their divine Mount Olympus in the Pieria region. The highest Greek mountain, surrounded by lush forests and emerald sea, hides its peaks in the clouds. People from all over the ancient world visited to pray and honor the twelve Olympian Gods The ruler of the land around Mount Olympus was the King of Macedonia. The rst kingdom’s capital was Aigai, known today as Vergina in Imathia; the last was Pella. The Macedonian Royal Court hosted personalities such as Hippocrates and Euripides. In the 4th century BC, King Phillip II managed to expand the borders of the kingdom by conquering big parts of the rest of Greece. He invented many military tactics that are still taught today. King Phillip II shaped the circumstances that allowed his son Alexander to become “Great.” The young prince had the best education. His father asked his friend Aristotle to teach Alexander and his friends. Aristotle was born in Stagira-Halkidiki and agreed under the terms that the King would rebuild his city that was destroyed after Phillip’s attack. Aristotle’s school was an open-air place in Mieza-Imathia. After Phillip’s assassination, Alexander became the king and left for his campaign from the port of Amphipolis in Serres. Alexander died in Babylon at the age of 33. His vast empire was divided in four pieces and his generals became kings in each. One was King Ptolemy, the ancestor of Queen Cleopatra of Egypt. Another was King Cassander, the ruler of
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