What do the archaeological finds in the area reveal?
In the footsteps of an ancient city of the Lower Valley of Strymonas in the “Paleokastro” location of Terpni in the municipality of Visaltia, with a lifespan from the end of the 6th century BC. to the 6th century AD, is the systematic archaeological research that is being carried out for the second year in the area, by the Antiquities Tax Office of Serres in collaboration with the French School of Athens.
The archaeological research reveals impressive monuments and complements the knowledge of the archaeologists but also the puzzle of the ancient map of the region. As Dimitria Malamidou, Head of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Serres, reports to APE-MBE, “the Paleokastro site is identified with one of the ancient cities of the lower Strymonas valley that are known from ancient historical sources”.
“We hope that with the new research there will be findings (inscriptions, coins) that will allow the safe identification of her name. However, it is already clear that its strategic position between the fertile valley of the river Strymonas and the slopes of the ore-rich mountains Kerdyllion and Vertiskos, contributed to its long successful historical course. It is no coincidence that among the oldest finds there is an inscription that mentions the word “adamas”, a term that refers to gold and probably to its exploitation”, Ms. Malamidou points out.
The views of the archaeologist Efthimios Rizos, archaeologist of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Serres and member of the excavation team of the project in Terpni, are in the same vein.
“We know from the sources that various cities flourished here during antiquity, but for many reasons most of these cities cannot be identified with certainty. We do not know which city each of these settlements is. The settlement of Terpni with its archaeological investigation has given us clear evidence that its life begins at least from the archaic era, perhaps even earlier. What we can say with certainty is when the life of this city stops where it is after the end of the 6th century AD. In no case was it inhabited during the Byzantine era. The name of the city is still one of its mysteries. What we hope to have is some epigraphical confirmation to give us her name. There is an inscription which confirms that in the Roman imperial years this settlement had the status of a city, it had political institutions. So it is indeed one of the ancient cities of ancient Visaltia”, emphasizes Mr. Rizos, pointing out that this settlement flourished due to the exploitation of gold.
“The reason this settlement thrives at this point is the exploitation of the gold that was brought down by the adjacent stream. This may explain to some extent the prosperity of the city in both Roman and Early Byzantine times. Some of the inscriptions from the Roman era give us the basis to say that here we have a systematic exploitation of gold”, the archaeologist tells APE-MPE characteristically.
What do the archaeological finds in the area reveal?
“This geographical zone was initially under the control of the Thracian wing of the Visalts, but quickly attracted the interest of the Greeks from the cities of the South and from the Macedonian kingdom. The findings of the excavations prove the presence of Greek pottery as early as the 6th century. e.g. Excavations on the hill have so far revealed building phases from the Hellenistic period, part of the fortification, a Roman basilica (public building) with a complex of thermal baths, a laboratory area with wine presses (lineon) from Roman times, and two Christian churches in the three-aisled basilica type. It is therefore a city with a lifetime from the end of the 6th century BC. to the 6th century AD
Several tombs from different eras have been excavated from time to time in its territory, as well as a “Macedonian” type tomb that belonged to the brothers Hipponaktas and Dioskouridis, sons of Apollodorus, who was, according to historical sources, a partner of Alexander the Great” he points out in APE- MBE the Head of the Antiquities Ephorate of Serres.
When did the archaeological research begin?
As Mrs. Malamidou recounts, “the first investigations in the area were carried out by Eugenia Iouris, in 1965, with the excavation of a “Macedonian-type” tomb at a distance of about 2 km east of the Paleokastro site. It was dated according to a coin around 328 BC, and according to the inscriptions carved inside the burial chamber, it belonged to the brothers Hipponaktas and Dioskouridis, members of the Macedonian aristocracy, sons of Apollodorus, who is probably identified with the one settled in Amphipolis partner of Alexander the great.
A little later, in 1981, extensive leveling work caused damage to the top of Paleokastro hill, bringing to light parts of ancient buildings, architectural members, reliefs, as well as an inscription of the 3rd c. A.D. The first exploratory excavations made in 1985 revealed a Roman building and lower walls of the Hellenistic period.
In 1993, under the direction of Marianna Karaperis, archaeologist of the then 13th EPKA of Kavala, the first systematic excavation was carried out at the site”. A total of three zones were then investigated:
A section of the 1.70 m wide fortification was uncovered, which, on the northern side of the hill, is preserved at a height of 1.80 m.
In its sector, the excavation of part of a Roman building that includes linums and sublinums, cisterns and pithos, a set apparently related to wine production, continued. At a greater depth, the excavation reached Hellenistic-era walls. Among the finds are several coins from the beginning of the 4th to the 1st century. e.g.
In the area that suffered the illegal leveling work in 1981, a large building with a typical Roman basilica plan and floors paved with marble slabs was revealed, in the immediate vicinity of a thermal installation. An inscription of the 2nd-3rd c. A.D. which is today in the Museum of Serres and probably comes from the cemetery of the ancient city, refers to the construction of a basilica with the assistance of Iulia, from a bequest of her husband Philippou under the supervision of Poplius Ailios Klaranos Alexander. It is quite possible that this is the building that the excavation revealed. The building seems to have been in use for quite a long time, from the 2nd to the beginning of the 4th century. AD, with several phases of reconstruction and its possible conversion into a Christian church that functioned at least until the 6th century”, emphasizes the Head of the Serres Ephorate of Antiquities.
The objectives of archaeological research
The work of the new program of systematic archaeological research in the ancient city at the site of Paleokastro, located near the chapel of Agios Mandilios, on an area of 17 acres, west of Terpni in the Municipality of Visaltia, continues for the second year, with the cooperation of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Serres and of the French School of Athens and the undivided support of the Municipality of Visaltia.
The program is five years (2022-2026), approved by the Ministry of Culture, with the prospect of extension in the future. It includes excavation research in the field, as well as geomorphological and environmental research in the territory of the settlement. The program is co-led by the Head of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Serres, Dimitria Malamidou and the Director of Studies of the French School of Athens, Laurianne Martinez-Sève, while researchers and students from Greece, France, Belgium and Canada participate.
“In 2022, we started cooperation with the Ephorate of Antiquities of Serres, under the direction of Mrs. Malamidou and Mrs. Laurianne Martinez-Sève. We opened three pits. One is a second church excavated by Mr Rizos, the second is an incision excavated by Ms Malamidou and we have probably found a furnace and on the western side of the hill is an area where we have fallen into residential remains, i.e. houses, streets and organization of the settlement. It is a very old settlement from the first phases of the Greek appearance in the area, of the Greek colonization in the North Aegean, we do not know for sure whether in its first phases the settlement was Greek or Greeks and Thracians coexisted, which is probably the most likely . The settlements in those phases were mainly collaborations between the two populations,” says the scientific member of the French School of Athens, Ioannis Chalazonitis, to APE-MBE.
The goal of archaeologists
“Our immediate goal is to return to the public a very important space, which we hope will become a pole of attraction for visitors and a source of cultural and economic upgrading of the region. Actions to inform the public and communicate the results of the research have been implemented immediately and in parallel with the research procedures. We hope that these actions will work for the Municipality of Visaltia as a tool for tourism exploitation and promotion.
At the same time, the municipality of Visaltia, in close cooperation with the Ephorate of Antiquities of Serres, managed in a short period of time, already in 2019, to complete the cleaning of an area unused for years, while it continues to support the research team steadily and in every way.
Our common recommendation is the promotion of the specific historical site, always in the light of the protection of antiquities and the natural environment, with the main goal of course to ensure visitors to the site”, concludes the Head of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Serres, Dimitria Malamidou.
Source :Skai
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