Lynkestis archaeological microregion through intensified field work and theoretical analyses

The second biggest Macedonian city, Bitola, and one of the traditional centers for the wider areas in the Balkans, was conventionally related among Macedonian and international archaeologists to the important site of Heraclea Lynkestis. While this ancient town on the southern outskirts of Bitola, founded by Philip II of Macedon, and especially its later Roman development, was excavated and presented widely and internationally, the interesting finds on the north of the city remained enigmatic for decades. Important finds related to excavations of eight very closely placed and related sites, including archaic and early classical necropoleis with reach burials (golden masks and bracelets, silverware, etc.), Hellenistic necropolis, and two extensive urban areas with complex fortified acropoleis (hypothesized as historically documented towns like Perseida and Lyncus), as well as rich archaeological material from the early classical to the late Hellenistic period, placed new archaeological focus on the rich historical sources related to ancient kingdom of Lynkestis, the history of the Macedonian kingdom and the battles of the Roman-Macedonian wars focused on this area.

This paper presents a combination of the results of the recent intensified field seasons and the change of the theoretical paradigm in understanding of this archaeological microregion.