The ancient city of Pydna, located south of Makrygialos, has been inhabited for centuries. The city was first inhabited at the end of the Late Bronze Age and expanded during the Early Iron Age and the Archaic. It continued its course during the Roman period, gradually decreasing until the early Christian years.
Its oldest name was Kydna and already from the 6th c. BC had minted coins, just like its neighbor Methoni. During the first period of the Peloponnesian war, it was besieged by the Athenians but they did not manage to capture it. Around 410 BC, it was occupied by the Macedonian king Archelaos, who moved its inhabitants from the beach to the hinterland. But the Pydnaeans returned to their homeland after the death of Archelaus and from 389 to 379 BC again minted coins (so the city was independent again). In 364 BC the city was occupied by the Athenians, while in 357 BC it was occupied by Philip II.
Olympias fled to Pydna in 317/316 BC and was killed there by Cassandros.
In 168 BC, Pydna and the area surrounding it were the theater of the last conflicts between Macedonia and Rome, which ended with the submission of the Greeks. The leader of the Macedonian army was the last Macedonian king Perseus, while the Roman one was Aemilius Pavlos. The defeat of the Macedonians resulted in the dissolution of the Macedonian kingdom and the annexation of its territories to the Roman state.
The ancient city of Pydna is located in the area called by the locals Palaia Pydna or Paleokitros. The city founded by Archelaus himself is near Kitros, while the port of the ancient city was located near today's Cape Atherida.
Editor: Fotini Anastasopoulou