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Pella was build by Archelaus at the end of the 5^th century B.C. and few years later it takes the place of Vergina and becomes the capital of Macedonia. With the years Pella turns into an important and rich city, by becoming the capital of ancient Macedonian country until its conquest by the roman troops which ransack the town and take all its treasures to their own capital.

In terms of geographical position, Pella is positioned in the north part of the Pieria region and the coasts of the Ludia river right next to the town of Thessaloniki. In ancient times the easy access to the town through a wide valley makes it possible for artists and intellectuals from southern Greece to travel often, which contributes to its blossoming in an economic and cultural aspect.

The town is build according to the model of the architect Hipodam who takes as an example from the east a plan for the streets in the shape of a rectangular grill. The number of the citizens in the town is about 10 000 people as Hipodam is a follower of the theory of Pythagoras and shares his ideas about the numbers and applies them in his town model.

Pella had some very strong brick walls, a water conduit and canalization, wide cobblestone streets which were leading to the port and the central agora with the workshops and stores, where ceramic and metal objects, little sculptures from terracotta and foods were sold. Despite the fact that the town was ransacked by the Romans it continued to exist until the1st century B.C. when it was destroyed probably by an earthquake. In the 30^th year there was build a Roman colony Pellensis west from the old Pella where currently exists the modern Nea Pella.

The most important group of the mosaics of the ancient Macedonia was found at the excavations of Pella. The mosaics were from the end of the 4^th century B.C. and were mainly found in two of the houses in the capital – “The house of Dionysus” and “The house of the abduction of Helena”, where they were adorning the floors and the central rooms.

The images on them were divided into two categories: one is with simple geometric shapes which cover the entire surface of the floor. The other category of images on the mosaics pictures hunting scenes, the battle of the Amazonian women and others. The colors are limited and most of the figures are in pale shades on a neutral background. In rare cases the artists were inclined to show the natural environment in which the figures move. It is interesting to know that on one of the mosaics appeared the signature of the artists: “Gnosis epoesen” (made by Gnosis).

The sights of Pella were officially announced opened for visitors this week by the minister of culture Michalis Liapis who looked through the site and the archeological museum. The museum is not yet opened, however it is expected that this will happen in the middle of 2009.