Skiathos: He wanted to open a beach bar on an archaeological site

by

The work was stopped by the Ephorate of Antiquities, which sued the 60-year-old.

Start installation work bar and umbrella seats on a well-known beach Skiathoswhich has been characterized archaeological siteas a result of which the Ephorate of Antiquities sued him and 60 years old businessman sat on the bench of the Autoforous Single-Member Criminal Court of Volos.

His trial, however, was postponed to Thursday, July 14, because the two prosecution witnesses, employees of the Ephorate of Antiquities, were absent.

In accordance with indictment, the 60-year-old businessman allegedly leased the privately owned plot in the Kefalas area of ​​Skiathos in order to set up a bar on the beach. In fact, according to his advocate, Larisa lawyer Mr. G. Kakaranza, he had allegedly submitted relevant requests to the competent services (Municipality, Real Estate Service, Ephorate of Antiquities, etc.) since last September. A few days ago he started beach shaping work to install the bar, straw umbrellas and wooden walkways for sunbeds. However, the work attracted the interest of the Ephorate of Antiquities, which advised him to stop it.

Reportedly, an ancient well was also discovered during the excavations, which, however, the businessman’s side maintains that it was built by the owner of the plot 50 years ago. Finally, the Ephorate of Antiquities sued the 60-year-old, who was arrested as part of the automatic procedure and brought to the bench of the Autoforous Single-Member Misdemeanor Court of Volos, accused of illegal intervention in an archaeological site. His lawyer, after the trial was adjourned and after the defendant was released, requested that an expert report be ordered by the Antiquities Authority, in order to prove whether or not the well is an archaeological find. According to the Ephorate of Antiquities, the settlement of Kefala Skiathos, which is identified with the oldest of the two towns of Skiathos, Palaiskiathos, occupies the hill on a small peninsula in the north-east of the island.

Evidence of early activity appears as early as the beginning of the 10th century BC, while the site seems to have been gradually abandoned after the foundation of the second city of Skiathos during the classical period, which is located on the site of the modern settlement of the same name. A large collection of pottery from the classical period found under a layer of pottery destruction, near the fortification wall, and a pit tomb from the beginning of the 4th c. BC, confirm the hypothesis that “Kefala” was inhabited until late classical times. However, the top of the plateau continued to be in use during the Hellenistic period.

On the south side of the plateau of the settlement, two buildings from the archaic era came to light. In the southwest of the settlement, two archaic child burials and a box-shaped tomb were excavated. The findings so far indicate a central Aegean settlement, in direct proximity and contact mainly with Thessaly and Evia. In September 2016, excavations were carried out in the area by the University of Thessaly in collaboration with the Ephorate of Antiquities of Magnesia, under the direction of Professor A. Mazarakis Ainian and Honorary Director A. Doulgeri-Intzesiloglou, with the participation of archaeologists E. Chrysopoulos from the Ephoria and A. Alexandridou from the Free University of Brussels and archeology students.

The investigations were funded by the University of Thessaly, while significant practical support was provided by the Municipality of Skiathos. Skiathos, like the adjacent islands of the Northern Sporades, should have been for the mobile Euboeans, intermediate stations on their way to the Thermaic Gulf and Halkidiki. The geographical position of “Kefala” facilitated the contacts between the central and northern Greek area not only during the earliest and main phase of the settlement’s prosperity, but also throughout its life.

You May Also Like

Recommended for you