Manolis Andronikos

Manolis Andronikos (23/10/1919 - 30/03/1992)

Manolis Andronikos was a Greek archaeologist.

He was born in Bursa on 23 October 1919; his family later moved to Thessaloniki. He studied at School of Philosophy at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. In 1952, he became professor of Classical Archaeology at the Aristotle University. He also studied in Oxford under the guidance of Sir John D. Beazley. In 1957, he became a lecturer of Archaeology at the same university; in 1964, he received the position of adjunct professor, and finally, three years later, he became a full professor. He was married to Olympia Kakoulidou; he liked reading and was a founding member of the organization “The Art”.

He carried out numerous archaeological digs in Veroia, Naousa, Kilkis, Chalkidiki, Thessaloniki, and other places. However, his main archaeological work was focused around Vergina, where he discovered one of the most important cemeteries of the geometric period. He also collaborated with other scholars in order to continue the excavation of the palace, which was dated to the Hellenistic times. The peak day of his career is considered to be the 8th November 1977, when in Vergina, he brought to light one of the most important archaeological monuments, an undisturbed Macedonian tomb. He also proposed that this was the tomb of Phillip II, King of Macedonia and father of Alexander the Great. Inside the tomb, numerous artifacts were found, including works of art. The association of this tomb to Phillip the II was later rejected, as its content was dated after 317 BC; now, this tomb is considered to be Phillip the III’s. Nevertheless, the importance of this monument is huge and is considered to be one of the most important archaeological finds of the 20th century on a worldwide scale.

He was a member of various societies, including the Archaeological Society of Athens, the Society of Macedonian Studies, the Association Internationale des Critiques d’ Art, as well as the German Archaeological Institute of Berlin. He participated in various international conferences, and was invited to deliver speeches at many German and Greek universities. He was also appointed Proctor of the Philosophy School at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki during the period 1968 – 1969. In 1992, he received the Great Cross of Phoenix award. He died later that year.