Listed 53 sub titles with search on: Archaeological sites for wider area of: "MAKEDONIA EAST & THRACE Region GREECE" .
KILA (Settlement) ALEXANDROUPOLI
To the north of Feres (at the abandoned village Koila) a castled position from the post- bronze ages and the early iron ages were discovered.
NIPSA (Village) ALEXANDROUPOLI
At the surroundings of the community of Nipsa, which is located 20-km northeast of Alexandroupoli, recently a number of prehistoric megalithic monuments from the early Iron Age were discovered.
This area is part of a Thracian tribe named Kekones this tribe was known even to Homer and Herodutus.
Not far away to the northwest of the village an Acropolis (citadel) was found with ceramics from the 9th- 8th century BC this Acropolis was controlling the paths of Rodopis in-land. A carved tomb was also found at the northwestern part of the yard. At the position, which is to the west of Nipsa and is called 'Dremos' carved solar symbols, three level altar, a holly sacrificial rock and many carved cavities that present stellar formations were found.
Around of the villages’ area to the northwest, you can see geometric and anthropomorphic designs carved on rocks. All the megalithic monuments are to found in the wooded area around the village and according to the opinion of the scientist the place used to by a 'holly forest'. According to Homer the oracle of the Kekones, Maronas lived in this forest.
This text is cited Mar 2003 from the Development Company of Alexandroupolis URL below, which contains images.
MYRTOUSSA (Settlement) XANTHI
The Kastro hill (formelry called Kales, h. 614 m) is located to the west of the Nestos river, 800m to the west of the ruins of the village of Aerikon (Drenova) and 3km to the NE of the village of Myrtoussa. The castle on the hill dates to the beginning of the 3rd cent. B.C.
THASSOS (Port) MAKEDONIA EAST & THRACE
ESSYMI (Village) ALEXANDROUPOLI
Between Avandas and the next village that is called Eseme another hill is rising, in this area the hill is named Monastere or after the Turkish Chepel- Kagia. On the hills’ very difficult to reach top a Thracian sanctuary was discovered, the life span of it is starting from the prehistoric ages till the Hellenistic and Byzantine ages. In the yard of this sanctuary you can find chiseled constructions, like a temple, sinks, stairs, solar discs etc.
This extract is cited Mar 2003 from the Development Company of Alexandroupolis URL below.
KALI VRYSSI (Village) DRAMA
XIROPOTAMOS (Village) SAMOTHRAKI
AMORI (Village) DIDYMOTICHO
In the location called "tou barba e vryssi" (= "the old man 's fountain") and situated 1 km to the north of the village Amorion, there are remains of an ancient settlement dating to the roman and byzantine period. Also, in the around area a statue of the goddess Artemis was found, which is now exhibited in the museum of Kavala.
KAVISSOS (Ancient city) ALEXANDROUPOLI
In a settlement 2-km outside of Feres called Kavisos, on a hill known in the area as Makrelofos a Thracian settlement from the early iron ages and just under the hill a post-roman settlement were discovered.
MELISSA (Village) XANTHI
At the location "Petres" or "Vouno" or "Tes tepe", which is situated to the east and near to the village of Melissa, there is a neolithic settlement (5th millenium B.C.) and, also, one of the installations of Greek colonists at the territory of Avdera (4th cent. B.C.).
At the location "Laspodes", in a 1-1.5km distance to the south of the village of Melissa, there are remains dating to the Hellenistic times.
NEA AMISSOS (Village) XANTHI
On this hill, which is located 350m to the NW of the Nea Amissos village, there were found an installation and a small settlement dating to the classical and hellenistic times.
THASSOS (Ancient city) THASSOS
DRAMA (Town) MAKEDONIA EAST & THRACE
At Troia Street is a Macedonian grave with two chambers and a dromos dating to the Hellenistic times.
ELAFOCHORI (Village) DIDYMOTICHO
The tomb was built of stone ashlar blocks, at the end of the 4th or the beginning of the 3rd century B.C. It has a dromos, an antechamber and chamber, the latter two having floors lined with stone slabs. A cist-shaped funerary couch is preserved inside the burial chamber and a cist-grave has been found under the floor.
This text is cited Feb 2003 from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture URL below.
ROUSSA (Village) DIDYMOTICHO
Megalithic dolmen built of five large stone slabs. The typical opening of such dolmens is preserved on one of the narrow sides.
These tombs usually contained the remains of cremations or large vases with the ash of the dead, along with the grave offerings.The monument is dated to the 9th century B.C.
This text is cited Feb 2003 from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture URL below, which also contains image.
STAVROUPOLIS (Small town) XANTHI
The tomb, originally covered by a tumulus, was constructed in 200-150 B.C. It was known to the villagers for quite a long time but the first visit of an archaeologist to the site did not occur before 1950. Unfortunately, the tomb had already been plundered, unkown exactly when.
The tomb is built of marble ashlar blocks and has a dromos, an antechamber and chamber, both covered with vaulted roofs. Two marble funerary couches are preserved in the burial chamber, with marble double bolsters at either end. The legs of the couches bear painted decoration. The entrance to the burial chamber had a double door made of marble.
Ch. Macaronas excavated the site in two campaigns: a restricted trial excavation took place in 1951, and a more systematic one in 1953. Consolidation work was carried out in 1978.
The area of the tumulus has been fenced by the 19th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities and the site is now open to the public.
This text is cited Feb 2003 from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture URL below, which also contains images.
SYMVOLA (Village) KOMOTINI
The tomb is a variation of the Macedonian, subterranean, built type. It has a dromos, an antechamber and chamber, and is built of soft poros ashlar blocks. The walls are covered with coloured stucco. Two funerary couches forming a right angle are preserved inside the burial chamber.
The excavations of the monument begun in 1976 and were completed in the years 1984-1987.
This text is cited Feb 2003 from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture URL below, which also contains image.
THASSOS (Ancient city) THASSOS
Rectangular building dating from the early 3rd century BC. A partially preserved inscription found on an architectural fragment from the superstructure, attributed the establisment of the building to Thersilohos.
In the middle of the north side, a doric portico marked the entrance to the auditorium. Sixteen ionic columns, arranged in a square around the middle of the room, supported the roof, which had an opening for ventilation and light. On three sides, wooden benches along the base of the wall were provided for seating.
Today only the foundation, a few column bases, and parts of the superstructure survive.
This text is cited Feb 2003 from the Foundation of the Hellenic World URL below, which contains image.
DRAMA (Town) MAKEDONIA EAST & THRACE
Photo Album in URL, information in Greek only.
PARADISSOS (Village) KAVALA
Paradeisos in Aegean Thrace
The site was excavated for one month in 1976. It has an important
strategic position on the right bank of the river Nestos (see map). Nestos today
forms the border between eastern Macedonia and Thrace. Surface finds had indicated
that the periods represented at the site were the Late Neolithic and Bronze Ages.
The 1.7 m deep stratigraphical sequence belongs to the Late Neolithic period,
however. Graphite painted pottery dominates.
Both the archaeological finds and the radicarbon dates demonstrate
that the site is contemporary with Sitagroi III: radicarbon dates 4995?5825 b.p.
or the 5th millennium BC.
The results were published as Hellstrom, P., Johnson, J., Larje, R.,
Reese, D. & Blennow, M.-L., Paradeisos. A Late Neolithic Settlement in Aegean
Thrace (ed. by P. Hellstrom). (Medelhavsmuseet Memoir 7). Stockholm 1987. ISBN
91-7192-677-1.
Pontus Hellstrom
This text is cited Jun 2005 from The Swedish Institute at Athens URL below
MAKRI (Small town) ALEXANDROUPOLI
Tel: +30 25510 71219
The first habitation of the site dates from the Neolithic period (5000
B.C.) and is attested in the area of the cave.
The accumulated debris of the successive clay buildings of the prehistoric periods,
gradually created a low mound (Toumba). In ca. 1000 B.C. a small settlement was
established on the site by the Thracians and later, Greek colonists of the 7th
century B.C. founded a small trading post of which the refuse pits are preserved,
full of amphoras. In the Roman period, a strong retaining wall was constructed
and during the Byzantine era, the site was used as a cemetery.
The site was discovered during the First World War. George Bakalakis
was the first archaeologist to visit the place and he identified it as the ancient
city of Zone and cape Serreion. Excavations on the site were first carried out
in 1988 by the 19th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities and are
still in progress. The Neolithic settlement which has come to light is one of
the most important in the Balkans. The excavation results also prooved that the
ancient settlement was simply a trading post and not the city of Zone, while cape
Serreion can now be securely placed at the end of Ismaros.
The most important monuments on the site are:
• Neolithic settlement.
It consisted of post-hole structures of which the floors, pise walls,
ovens, hearths etc. are preserved.
• Trading post of the Classical and Roman periods.
Two pits, the fortification wall and houses are preserved.
• The "Cyclops cave".
Small cave with two chambers.
• Rock-cut structures.
Still visible today are stairways, niches, cisterns and an observation
post.
AVDIRA (Ancient city) XANTHI
Region: Thrace
Periods: Archaic, Classical, Roman, Byzantine, Geometric
Type: Fortified city
Summary: A coastal city on Cape Bulustra, E of Kavalla.
Physical Description:
The city had two harbors, the larger one protected by a mole
and city fortification walls. The walls extended ca. 5.5 km and enclosed a city
designed on the Hippodamian grid system in the 4th century B.C. Houses of the
Hellenistic and Roman period survive, as do the theater, Roman baths and a terracotta
figurine workshop. Byzantine fortifications have obscured earlier remains on the
acropolis.
Description:
Traditionally founded by Herakles, Abdera was in fact a
7th century B.C. colony of Klazomenai which was reestablished in the 6th century
by Ionians refugees from Teos. It fell under Persian control in 490 B.C. and later
became a member of the Delian League. Philip II conquered the city in ca. 350
B.C. and in 196 B.C. Rome declared it a free city. The city suffered two major
destructions: in 376 B.C. at the hands of the Thracian tribe of the Triballi and
in 170 B.C. by a Roman force. Abdera was famed for the beauty of its coinage and
as the birthplace of Democritus and Protagoras. Although occupied into the Byzantine
period it had lost all political importance during the Roman Imperial period.
Exploration:
Excavations began 1950 by D. Lazarides for the Greek Archaeological
Service.
Donald R. Keller, ed.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains 15 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
SAMOTHRAKI (Ancient city) EVROS
Region: Sporades
Periods: Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman
Type: Sanctuary
Summary: Major sanctuary in the North Aegean region, located on
the island of Samothrace.
Physical Description:
The Sanctuary of the Great Gods is located half a kilometer
inland from the N coast of Samothrace and just W of the city that the Greek colonists
fortified in the Archaic period. The sanctuary occupied a ridge between two streams
in the Archaic and Classical periods and expanded W to an adjacent ridge by the
end of the Hellenistic period. Structures on the E ridge centered around the original
pre-Greek cult features and included: the Arsinoeion (the largest rotunda of ancient
Greece), that sheltered the earliest rock altar of the sanctuary; the Anaktoron
which served as a hall for the first initiation into the Mysteries; the Hieron
where the higher initiation ceremonies were performed; the Hall of Votive Gifts,
and the Altar Court. Later structures to the W included a large stoa, the theater,
and the Nike Fountainhouse.
Description:
When the Aeolian Greeks colonized the island of Samothrace
at ca. 700 B.C., they adopted and Hellenized the existing cults and the religious
center W of their new city. The original rock altar of the Mother Goddess and
other features and elements of the fertility and mystery cults were encorporated
into the enlarged sanctuary and the Thracian language continued to be used in
religious rituals up to the 1st century B.C. In the 6th century B.C. the political
power of Samothrace reached its peak, but it was in the 5th century, when the
island was subject to the Delian League, that the Sanctuary of the Great Gods
began to grow in international repute. During the Hellenistic and Roman periods
the sanctuary grew to its largest extent and became the chief religious site in
the N Aegean region. The fame of the cult of the Mysteries at Samothrace was surpassed
only by that at Eleusis. In the 3rd century B.C. the first marble structures were
added to the site and during the 3rd and 2nd centuries B.C. the Arsinoeion rotunda,
the Ptolemaion Gateway, and the theater were constructed as the area of the sanctuary
was extended to the W. In 84 B.C. the sanctuary was plundered by pirates, but
it was restored with Roman aid. The cults continued to function, but after an
earthquake in A.D. 200 the sanctuary began to decline. Cult activity was halted
in the late 4th century A.D. and the final destruction occurred with an earthquake
in the 6th century A.D.
Exploration:
G. Deville and E. Coquart excavated in 1866. Excavations
by the Austrians Conze and Hauser in 1873 and Niemann and Benndorf in 1875. The
French School excavated under Salac and Chapouthier in 1923-1927. Since 1938 (with
a break during the war years) excavations have been conducted by New York University,
directed by K. Lehmann until his death in 1960 and since then by P. Lehmann and
James McCredie.
Donald R. Keller, ed.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains 16 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
THASSOS (Ancient city) THASSOS
Region: Thrace
Periods: Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Modern
Type: Fortified city
Summary: Center of an island city-state.
Physical Description:
The city of Thasos (on the N coast of the island, opposite
the mainland) had 2 ancient harbors, one of which was enclosed by the city's fortification
system. The extant walls of Thasos date mainly to ca. 411 B.C., but rest on earlier
foundations of walls demolished first by order of the Persians (491 B.C.), and
again by order of the Athenians (463 B.C.). Several of the extant city gates,
however, date to the earlier Archaic circuit. Within the ca. 4 km long walls of
the city are a number of sanctuaries (including those to Poseidon, Artemis, Herakles
and Dionysos), residential and commercial buildings, and the agora in the lower
town. The agora is located at the center of the city's shore line, with a gateway
to the adjacent fortified harbor. The agora was surrounded by stoas and public
buildings and contained many altars and small shrines. The city walls extend to
the SW to enclose the 3 summits of the acropolis where individual sanctuaries
to Apollo, Athena and Pan are located. In the Roman period an odeion, basilica
and monumental arch were added. The Greek theater on the slope, along the E wall
of the city was remodeled by the Romans to serve as an arena.
Description:
The island of Thasos has been inhabited since the Neolithic
period. According to tradition the island takes its name from Thasos, the leader
of a group of Phoenician traders who were exploiting the gold mines of the island
in the Early Iron Age when the island was inhabited by a Thracian tribe. Around
680 B.C. Ionian Greeks from Paros colonized the island. Thasos reached its greatest
prosperity during the Archaic and early Classical period due to its position on
the sea routes, its supply of timber and marble for export, and in particular
its gold mines. The island submitted to the Persians in 491 and 480 B.C. In 477
Thasos joined the Athenian controlled Delian League. The island was unsuccessful
in attempts to withdraw from Athenian dominance in 464 and 411 B.C. and in 377
B.C. it joined the 2nd Athenian League. In the Hellenistic and Roman periods Thasos
had little political power, but remained prosperous.
Exploration:
Early topographical exploration by A. Conze in 1858 and
J. Bent in 1886. In 1910 the French School began excavations at the ancient city
which have continued, with interruptions until the present. Research outside the
city includes: excavations at the sanctuary at Aliki by J. Bent in 1886 and by
the French School in 1924 and 1961-1962; excavation at a cave near the sanctuary
by A. Romiopoulou in 1962; and excavations at a necropolis at Theologos by the
French School in 1925.
Donald R. Keller, ed.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains 185 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
SAMOTHRAKI (Ancient city) EVROS
Tel: +30 25510 41474
Fax: +30 25510 41474
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