In the Hellenistic Age the foundation of capital cities was a defining moment for affirmation of the political and military power of the basileus. In Macedonia, from the end of the Argead dynasty to the first Antigonid rulers, the kingdom was organized in a network of poleis marked by many elements of dynastic propaganda. Starting from the description of historical events related to the foundation of Demetrias (Thessaly) by Demetrio Poliorcetes (about 293 BC), the author proposes a comprehensive analysis of the design of the basileion (royal residence) from its beginnings. The reconstruction proposed for this monumental palace, built in the centre of the new dynastic capital, is conducted with particular attention to how the constituent parts of the building relate to the surrounding polis. The planimetric organization of the compartments and the specific functions served by the various halls of the palace promote the monarchic ideology and are determined by the formal and symbolic aspects of court life and the king’s protocol, the primary cultural traits in the development of the architectural language of the Macedonian dynasty.
