Learn History: Half-day Trip to Halkidiki

Learn History: Monuments and archaeological sites

Learn History: Half-day Trip to Halkidiki a  comprehensive tour of important archaeological sites and monuments of Sithonia in Halkidiki.

From ancient Olynthos to the city of Akanthos and the Castle of Lykithos, Halkidiki has rich archaeological treasures and sites.

Aristotle

Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC) was born in Stageira. He was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. He is one of the most important founders of Western philosophy. Aristotle first created with his writings a comprehensive system of Western philosophy, global ethics and aesthetics, logic and science, politics and metaphysics. Aristotle was appointed head of the Macedonian royal academy. During that time he gave lessons not only to Alexander, but also to two other future kings, Ptolemy and Cassander.

The park of Aristotle

Aristotle’s Park is located in Stageira. The Grove, in which Aristotle’s Hadrian has been for many years, was equipped with interactive instruments. These instruments apply natural phenomena for which references are made in the great Master’s book “The Natural”. The grove in its four years of operation has become a favorite destination for individual tourists and schools, since it fantastically combines entertainment with education.

Aristotle’s park is a great place to learn about activities and interactive games. When the weather is good, you can see some of the monasteries on Mount Athos using the telescopes.

The Archaeological Museum of Polygyros

The Archaeological Museum of Polygyros hosts finds from all over Halkidiki. It houses three permanent exhibitions: one with findings from the most important archaeological sites of the prefecture, a second with findings from the three colonies of Andros in Halkidiki, Stageira, Akanthos and Sani, as well as the exhibition of the Lampropoulos Collection.

The Museum consists of the Vestibule, the Main Hall, the Atrium and the Hall of the Lampropoulos Collection.

LOBBY

In the vestibule there are two showcases with finds from Halkidiki, donations from the families of Polygyros, a few tombstones, among them the steles of the Athenian priests from Potidaia dating back to the classical era and part of the exhibition of the most important archaeological sites of Halkidiki, such as finds from ancient Afiti and part of the findings of Olynthos.

MAIN HALL

The rest of the findings of Olynthos are presented here, ceramics, samples of corroplastry, objects of daily use, tools and inscriptions that unfold the aspects of the history of the city and its inhabitants. Also on display are findings from the excavations at the Sanctuary of Ammon Zeus in Kallithea in Kassandra, in Toroni in Sithonia, as well as findings from the excavation of a cemetery in the area of Polygyros with findings that reveal the cultural identity of the inhabitants of the inland Halkidiki during the late archaic period. period.

PATIO

In the atrium are exhibited marble sculptures and reliefs of the Hellenistic and Roman period mainly from various regions of Halkidiki. There is also a sand pit with injections, a clay sarcophagus, etc. effigy representing part of the cemetery of Akanthos.

Ancient city of Akanthos

Ancient Akanthos was a leading city-port of eastern Halkidiki and one of the most important in the whole of Macedonia. It occupies a privileged position between two sea coasts, next to Ierissos and on the road to Ouranoupoli – Mount Athos. Akanthos, a colony of Andrians according to Thucydides (IV 84.1) or Andrians and Chalcidians according to Plutarch (Aitiai Hellinon 30), developed around the middle of the 7th century. e.g. in a prehistoric settlement. The city is known from the wide circulation of its coins during antiquity. As the main source of wealth of the city, agriculture must be considered. Historically, Acanthus makes its appearance during the Persian wars, when it is on the side of the Persians, first in 490 on the side of Mardonius and then in 480 BC. on the side of Xerxes, whom he helps in the construction of the canal on the peninsula of Aktis. He later joined the Delian Alliance and helped the Athenians in the Peloponnesian War. After the peace of Nikias in 421 BC, Akanthos enjoyed a short period of independence until the spread of the Macedonians and was finally placed in the 4th c. e.g. under their control. The city was sacked by the Romans around 200 BC. (Libius, 31.45.15 ff.), however its port continued to operate. In the imperial period the city became a Roman district (conventus of Roman citizens). Silver coins were first minted at Akantho around 530 BC. in large quantities by Euboean standards. Around 424 BC a change is observed in the coinage at Akanthos, where Phoenician standards are now used. The last coins of the Akantho mint can be dated to the middle of the 4th BC.

Working hours

Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. (only the covered area of the ancient cemetery)

A.M.E.A.
there is access for people with mobility problems (only for the covered area of the ancient cemetery).

Access to the Archaeological Site
Saturday – Sunday: the covered area of the ancient cemetery is closed.

The ancient Stageira

Ancient Stageira, the hometown of Aristotle, the greatest philosopher of antiquity, teacher of Alexander the Great, is located about 500 m. southeast of the current village of Olympiada, on a small, mountainous peninsula, which is called “Liotopi”.

They were founded by Andrian settlers around 655 BC. in the eastern mountainous neck of Halkidiki, while a little later settlers from Chalkida also arrived there.

In the ancient sources there is a precise reference to the location of the city: they place Stageira further south of Akanthos and in a coastal area and add the existence of a small island opposite the city called “Kapros” (the same name is attributed to the port of the city , as also many coins of the city bore the boar as a symbol).

Despite the reconstruction of the city, this destruction marked its decline, which gradually began to decline.

Ancient city of Olynthos

Olynthos is an ancient city of Halkidiki, built on a fertile plain, at the mouth of the Gulf of Toroni, near the base of the peninsula of Pallini (today Kassandra), at a distance of 60 stadia (about 11.5 km) from Potidaia and 4 km from the sea. Historical facts The site has been inhabited since the Neolithic Age (5300-4500 BC), the word “Olynthos” is pre-Greek and probably means “wild fig”. According to tradition, it was named after Olynthos, son of the river god Strymons. Herodotus states that the city was conquered by the Botians of Imathia in the seventh century BC. The area belonged to a Thracian tribe, the Botians, who held it until 479 BC. In that year the Persian general Artavazos suspected that a defection of the city was being prepared by the Great King. Artavazos massacred the inhabitants and handed over the deserted city to the neighboring Chalcidians. As a member of the Athenian Alliance, Olynthos must have been relatively unimportant, for it is reported to contribute 2 Talents while the neighboring Skioni, Mendis and Toroni contributed 9, 8 and 6 respectively. In 432 it became the seat of the Halkidean community, which was formed at the instigation of Perdiccas, king of the Macedonians, as a result of which many Chalkideans moved from neighboring settlements. In the same year, it is separated, definitively, from the Athenian alliance. Brasidas used it as a base for his campaign in 424. In the 4th c. acquires significant political power, as the head of the Halkidean community. Testimonies for the action of the Halkidean community can be traced back to the time of the Peace of Nicaea (421 BC), when we find the Chalcidians moving diplomatically together and joining the Argos alliance. Common coins have been found dating, with certainty, from 405 BC. Undoubtedly, therefore, the community was founded before the end of the 5th c. and the motivation for its formation was self-protection from a possible Athenian attack.

Ancient city of Toroni

Ancient city of Toroni

Immigrants from Evia settled Toroni in the 8th BC. century. The city became a member of the Athenian League, until the Spartans captured it. King Philip II of Macedonia occupied the city in 348 BC, while in 168 BC the area fell into the hands of the Romans.
Ancient Toroni was one of the largest and richest cities of Halkidiki. Its history is told by Thucydides, along with the siege of Likithos (the small and steep rocky peninsula at the southern end of the beach, which was part of the walls of ancient Toroni) by the Spartans during the Peloponnesian War. During the years of Roman occupation and the Byzantine era, the city walls were strengthened to protect it from the sea and the land. They were built with the construction material left over from the ancient acropolis. Excavation work in the area began in 1975 by the Australian Archaeological Institute in Athens. The finds showed that the area had been continuously inhabited since the Early Bronze Age. Some very important vessels were found in the city cemetery. Among them is a magnificent silver jug, which dates from the 5th century BC, with jellyfish engraved on the handles, now on display in the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki. The visitor can see part of the city walls and ruins from the citadel. The docks of the port, made of huge blocks of granite, were discovered at the bottom of the sea, together with the remains of the stone walls, which continue on the coast and were probably warehouses of the city.

The cave of Petraloni

The cave of Petraloni.

 

Near the village of Petralona, at the base of Mount Katsika, one can find the entrance to the Cave of Petralona. When it was accidentally discovered in 1959 by a villager they named it Red Stones, because of the red color of the earth from the stalagmites and stalactites. It covers an area of 10,000 m2.? The cave is part of an extensive cave system in limestone Mesozoic deposits that contain large amounts of mineral mammal bones including horse, cave bear, lion and others.

In 1960, Dr. Aris Poulianos found a complete skull and part of the skeleton of Homo Erectus. It belonged to a woman between 25-35 years old. The skull has been dated as 700,000 years old and the traces of fire found next to it, about 1,000,000 years old. It is considered one of the first finds of man in Europe.

The cave offers a breathtaking spectacle of its geological beauty. In the section called the “cemetery of the giants” 14 different types of animals and bones were found. The great hall has huge stalagmites in white coral. The root hall has fine roots from plants above the cave that penetrated the ceiling and formed a net.

There is a museum near the cave that contains many of the cave’s archaeological finds. The original skull is kept in the paleontological collection of the Aristotle Museum of Thessaloniki, but there is a replica inside the cave where it was found. (More information: +30-373-71671

Source:Monuments and archaeological sites

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