Archeological sites

Ancient town Mendi
It was built on the hills around Kalandra and the coast of Possidi. It was a colony of the Eretrians and homeland of the famous sculptor Peonios. Like Skioni, it defected from the Athenian Alliance, since, at a certain point, it was the city, which paid the heaviest taxes than any other in Kassandra. The Athenians sent a fleet, under the command of Nikias and Nikostratos, which conquered the city but did not completely destroy it.
It was a flourishing, big city with colonies elsewhere, like Ion and Neapolis. The excavation works at the area called Vigla (the acropolis of the city) brought to light ceramic artefacts from the Mycenean Age and buildings dating from the 6th century BC. The city was famous for the wine and donkeys. The wine was an excellent mild white wine, for which the demand from all the Mediterannean area was great. It was sold in a very extinguished, for that time, packing. The donkeys from Mendi were of a rare species, which lived only here.
The worship of Dionysus was very important here. He was represented on the coins of the city with grapes and donkeys

Ancient town Olynthos
The area was constantly inhabited since the Neolithic Age. According to mythology, the town was built by the brother of Olynthos, the son of the mythic King of Thrace Strymonas. Olynthos was killed by a lion and his brother built the town to honour his brother's name. However, the linguists insist that olynthos is the name of the wild fig tree, which are in abundance in the area, and the town was named after it. Around 650 BC refugees from Pieria hunted by the Macedonian army, settled in the area and soon prospered. The Persian army destroyed the town in 479 BC. They slaughtered all the inhabitants and offered it to their allies from Evia (Halkida). Later, Olynthos joined the Athenian Alliance and afterwards the Community of Halkida (Evia). From this alliance the town gained great profits (mainly financial). So, it became the capital of the Euboan colonies in Halkidiki and was able to support a huge army (about 20.000 soldiers). During the Peloponnesian War it flourished even more, had its own monetary unit and provided all the Euboan refugees in Greece protection. When the Macedonian State faded, the army of Olynthos conquered its territories and reached until the ancient town Pella (389 BC). In 382 BC, after a three-year long siege, the Spartans captured the town and broke the Euboan Community. Nevertheless, the town quickly recovered and became wealthy and powerful again. In 348 BC the Macedonian Army under the command of Philip II captured and destroyed it. Those inhabitants, who weren't slaughtered, were sold for slaves. The town was never again inhabited and its destruction is remembered as one of the most shattering of the entire antique world.
The excavation works at the archaeological site of Olynthos begun in 1928 by an American archaeological expedition. In 1990 the excavation works were taken over by the 16th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, which brought to light the houses of Olynthos
The archaeological site is protected. The visitor can enter it at certain hours.

Ancient town Potidea
The town was founded by the Korinthians during the 7th century BC and was given the name Potidea. It soon became the most important antique centre of the peninsula called Pallini and one of the most important ancient towns in Greece. The area has been inhabited constantly since the Neolithic Age. The name of the prehistoric settlement was probably Pallini.
The name POTEIDAIA is written on the Tripod, which the winners over the Persian army in the battle of Plataies donated to the Oracle in Delphi. According to Herodotus, the Persian army forced Potidea to provide them with ship and men. After the Persian marched against south Greece, and were defeated in Salamina, Potidea sent help to the Greek army. The Persian Army, on their way back to Persia, tried to conquer Potidea, unsuccessfully.
Right after that, the town joined the Athenian Alliance, but after 432 BC it defected and became one of the motives for the Peloponnesian War. The Athenians marched against it, besieged it, and forced it to surrender in 429 BC. The great philosopher Socrates and the Athenian General Alkiviades fought together at this siege. The winners forced the inhabitants to leave their homes, taking with them only the clothes they were wearing.
In 356 BC Philip II conquered and destroyed the town. Kassandros rebuilt it in 316 BC and gave it his name (Kassandria). This town prospered for centuries as a great naval and commercial centre. In 168 BC it fought bravely against the Romans, who besieged it, but finally it fell.
In 43 BC many retired Roman soldiers settled in the area and the town became a Roman colony, but continued to prosper. In 540 it was conquered and destroyed by Hun invaders. The Byzantine Emperor Ioustinianos rebuilt the town, but it never again managed to achieve the older town's glory.
During the Greek Revolution in 1821 the castle of Potidea, though deserted, became a mighty fortress of freedom and was known as "the gate to Kassandra". It extended from the Gulf Thermaikos to the Gulf Toroneos, as indicate traces of its walls, and was longer than a thousand meter. Along the walls, there were also towers, which blocked the access to the peninsula from the inland, when the
doors were shut. A part of it was destroyed in 1930, when the Canal was opened.
Many archaeological treasures of the old city are exhibited in the museums of Thessaloniki and Polygyros.

Sanctuary of Ammon Zeus (Kallithea)
It is an ancient Greek sanctuary, one of the most important in Greece, on an idyllic site. Here, the inhabitants of Athytos worshiped God Dionysus, whose brilliant temple is mentioned by Xenophon in his book "Hellinika". In 1970, a saving excavation brought to light the Sanctuary of Dionysus and the Nymphs. It was built around the 8th century BC, next to a cave. Since the 5th century BC, Ammon Zeus was worshiped here and soon this became one of the most important places of worship of this God in the entire Greek country.
The excavation works also brought to light the altar where the sacrifices took place and part of the architectural structure of the Doric temple. The building had 11 pillars on the long sides and 6 on the short ones. The altar was added to the older temple around the 5th century BC, while the temple itself was built in the 4th century BC. The Romans continued worshiping Ammon Zeus here, when they conquered the place. They built two amphitheatrical buildings, one on the east and one on the west side of the temple. After the Christian religion prevailed, Emperor Theodosius completely destroyed the temple and tore down the buildings around it.
The archaeological site is not protected and is free to visit. Many of the archaeological findings are exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Polygyros, architectural parts and statues are kept in the Monastery Panteleimon in Mount Athos. The floor of the temple is preserved in a pretty good condition and around it the visitor can see scattered altars, broken pillars and architectural parts of marble and stone, ruins of buildings and stones.

Temple of Poseidon (Possidi)
This cape was known in the antiquity as Possidonio and the whole area around it belonged to the Ancient Town Mendi. The systematic excavation works by the 16th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities (1990 - 1994) brought to light the Temple of Poseidon, on the beach. The temple was open for more than a thousand years, while no ancient historian mentions its existence. Eretrians, whose colony was Mendi and whose protector was Poseidon, probably built it. The Eretrians used to build such temples near their colonies and named them Poseidiia.
The excavation works brought to light four big buildings: the main temple, two buildings, one on each of its sides, and an arched building on the east side. The last one, which is also the oldest one, dates from the Proto-Geometric Period. Its ground is made of mud and the walls of big pebbles. The other buildings date from the 7th and 6th centuries BC. The main temple dates from the 5th century BC. All the buildings were places of worship and there are altars for sacrifices and places for sacred ceremonies everywhere. Pieces of ceramics and pots, with the name of Poseidon and the name of the donator on them (the donators were always men, since this was a place of worship for seamen) were found all over the area. The various sanctuaries were built at different times and were complementary to each other. The complete complex is particularly impressive, since the temples were built on a narrow piece of land and reflected in the water (all Poseidon's temples were built on the coast).
There are no visitors allowed on the archaeological site, since the excavation works are still running. The visitor can only see the findings from a distance.

The Byzantine Tower of Saint Paul (Paul the Apostle) in Nea Phocea
It stands on a low hill, on the south, rocky end of the beach.
It is an impressive tower, built of stones which were transferred here from the Ancient Town Potidea in 1407.
It was part of the property of the Monastery of Saint Paul and protected it.
Next to it is the little chapel of the Monastery, built with bricks (1868).       

The Cave of Petralona
In Western Halkidiki, at a mere 54 km southeast of Thessaloniki is the reknown Cave of Petralona. This cave was discovered in 1959 by the inhabitants of the area at the hill Katsika (642 m), near the village Petralona and soon became famous, not only because of the size or the wealth of its stalactites, stalagmites and its very intricate corridors and halls, but mainly because of the human and other fossils, which date from the Pleistocene Age that were found here and the secrets of human life and prehistory that it veils. It has a total surface of around 2.500 acres and its corridors are almost 1.500 m long. The "Main Hall" is 104 m long, 12 m wide and 8 m high. The stalactites and stalagmites make an impression with their wealth, shapes and colourings.
The old, natural entrance to the cave has been shut by the precipitation of rocks, many thousands of years ago. A new, artificially opened entrance leads to its interior. The cave has been researched and developed and now, illuminated, makes quiet and impression on the visitor. It is a impressive masterpiece, created by the water, which worked secretly for millions of years and with its pervasive power carved an underground stone garden out of the limestone mountain.
The cave of Petralona served as a home for the first humans about 700.000 years ago. In 1960, a fossilized human scalp, covered by stalagmite material, was discovered inside the cave. Scientists from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where the scalp was sent, cleaned, studied and dated the fossil. It probably belonged to a 25-year old female (quiet old for that time) who live around 260.000 years ago. The chronology is not 100% certain. What is certain, though, is the it belonged to the species of the archanthrop (first humans) of the transition phase from the Homο erectus (standing man) to the Homο sapiens (wise man) and is the most ancient fossil of human found in Greece. Inside the cave, in successive layers, were also found fossilized animal bones (lion, hyena, bear, horse etc) as well as traces of fire. It is possible that it is the most ancient known fire on earth and the "civilization" of the archanthrop of Halkidiki is the most ancient known civilization in Europe. The visitor of the cave can also see the representation of the ancient inhabitants of the cave around the fire, at a specially arranged hall.
A palaeontological museum, at the entrance of the cave, hosts important exhibits.
Fossils of animals of the age of the archanthrop have also been found in Nea Triglia, Nikiti, Vrasta and other sites                

The Church dedicated to Panagia Faneromeni (Virgin Mary) in N. Skioni
According to tradition, in the 16th century AC a villager from the area saw a light approaching the coast from the sea. He thought it was pirates and returned to the village to warn his fellow villagers. In the morning, when the light reached the shore, they saw that it was a huge piece of marble, with the icon of Virgin Mary painted on it. The villagers were impressed by the miracle and asked the Turkish Governor of the area to allow them to built a chapel and shelter the icon. He refused, dropped the icon on the ground, and trampled on it. Suddenly, the icon became soft, as if it were made of mud, and trapped his legs, so he could not escape. So, the Governor regretted it and, asking for forgiveness, allowed them to build the chapel.
The chapel, as well as the area around it, belonged to the Monastery Phlamouriou of Thessaly. When Thessaly was liberated from the Turks in 1881, the chapel was granted to the Theological School of Halki, to which it still belongs. On the walls, the visitor can see parts of the wall paintings dating from the 16th century. The best ones are on the walls of the Holy Altar. The icon of Virgin Mary has always been at the same place. In order to completely realise its size, one must look behind the Holy Altar. The traces on the icon belong to the soles of an ancient statue, whose base the marble originally was.
According to the local tradition, the icon cries whenever a national disaster is about to occur. It is said that the icon cried before World War II, right before the Turks invaded Cuprys and even in the recent years, when the conflict about the name of Macedonia arose.

The Property of the Monastery Stavronikita (Sani)
The area, with the fertile fields and olive groves was property of the Monastery Stavronikita since 1543. The workers on the property were Greek and Bulgarian. The tower of the monastery property is preserved in a good condition, in the area where probably the acropolis of the ancient town Sani was. Important events and happenings of the Sani Festival take place here every summer.

Castle of Likythos – Ancient town Toroni
Migrants from Evia inhabited Toroni in the 8th century BC. The town joined the Athenian Alliance, until the Spartans conquered it. King Philip II of Macedonia conquered the town in 348 BC and the Romans in 168 BC. Ancient Toroni was one of the biggest and wealthiest towns of Halkidiki. Its location is described by Thukidides, along with the siege of Likithos (the small and steep rocky peninsula on the south end of the beach, which was part of the walls of Ancient Toroni), by the Spartans during the Peloponnesian War. During the years of the Roman Occupation and the Byzantine Era, the walls of the town were reinforced to protect it from sea and land. They were built with the construction material that had been left from the ancient acropolis.
The excavation works in the area began in 1975 by the Australian Arhaeological Institute in Athens. The findings indicated that the area had been constantly inhabited since the Early Copper Age. Some very important vessels were found in the town cemetery. Among them a wonderful silver pitcher, which dates from the 5th century BC, with engraved Medusas on the handles, which is now exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki.
The visitor can see part of the town's walls and ruins from the acropolis. The docks of the harbour, made of huge granite stones, were discovered at the bottom of the sea, along with remainders of stonewalls, which continue on the shore and were probably the town's warehouses.

The Basilica Sophroniou (Nikiti)
A famous, early Christian basilica, one of the most ancient in Macedonia, built in the first half of the 5th century AC. It had three naves and was of Hellenistic type. This means that the roof of the middle nave was higher. The numerous windows allowed the church to overflow with light, like all churches from the early Christian years till the middle of the Byzantine Era. It had a magnificent decoration of masterpieces from the art workshops of Thessaloniki. Among them outstanding are the wonderful marble inlays, the relief parapets, and the mosaics of magnificent technique. Among the mosaics is the one, which represents two deer (male and female) approaching to drink water from a pot, which symbolizes the Truth of Christianity. Next to this one is an inscription, stating that the temple was built during the time of Bishop Sophronios, the oldest known Bishop. The church was destroyed in the 6th century AC, probably by an earthquake, and was covered with soil.
The systematic excavation works started in 1980 by the Artistotle University of Thessaloniki. Today, the visitor can see a part of the yard's cloister, the narthex, and the pillars from the interior of the temple, the marble relief parapets, and the magnificent mosaic floors. The archaeological site is open to the public.

Ancient town Akanthos
A colony of the city of Andros, which was built around 650 BC, one of the biggest and wealthiest colonies in Halkidiki and the most powerful harbour of the region, with its own monetary unit (one of the most beautiful of its time).
Its inhabitants joined forces with the Persian Army, then with the Athenians and last with the Spartans.
In 199 BC the Romans plundered the town, divided it in smaller properties and gave them to the legionnaires. At a certain point the Romans were the only inhabitants of the area. They named the town Ericius (Erissos). The name later became Ierissos.
The ancient town Akanthos was built on the hills, covering an area of 140 acres. The ruins, that the visitor can see, are traces of the town's walls and houses. A public building with two wells, both with marble openings, was excavated in the middle of the settlement.
The excavation works in the area started before almost 25 years at the town's cemetery. The today's village Ierissos is built right on top of it. More than 9.000 tombs from the Hellenistic and Classic Time were excavated. Most findings are exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Polygyros.

Byzantine Tower of Prosphorios (Ouranoupolis)
It was built in 1344. Here lived the monks who looked after the property of the Monastery Vatopediou, from 1018 until the Greek Catastrophe in Asia Minor.
This property included the whole wider area of Ouranoupolis. The roof, which replaced the last floor, and the lower building were constructed in the 19th century. Other buildings of the Monastery property are also preserved.
Today, the tower hosts periodical exhibitions about the Byzantine Era.

Frangokastro – Monastery of Zygos (Ouranoupolis)
It is in the greater area of Ouranoupolis, about forty meters beyond the Mount Athos borderline. It was dedicated to Prophitis Ilias (Prophet Elias) and it must have been founded around the year 991 AC.
During the 11th century AC it was one of the most important monasteries of Mount Athos. Still, in the 12th century it was abandoned and donated from the Emperor Alexios Angelos III to the Monastery Helandariou.
Around 1206, a Frank lord with his soldiers settled in the monastery and marched from there to plunder the monasteries of Mount Athos. After the Pope's interference, in 1211, he was forced to leave the area.
It is the only example of a big Mount Athos Monastery, the plain structure (without any later interventions and additions or obstacles of religious nature) of which we can study.
The excavations works are still running. Visitors are accepted upon request.

Ancient town Stagira
The birthplace of the philosopher Aristotle was a colony of Andros founded in 655 B.C. The first name of the city was Orthagoria.
Ally, initially of the Athenians and later of the Spartans, the city was occupied by Philippos in 349 B.C., after the destruction of Olynthos.
Philippos, however, rebuilt the city in order to honour the great philosopher, tutor of Alexander the Great. When Aristotle died, his fellow-citizens transported his bones to Stageira and set up a monument.
To honour him, they organised each year a big feast, called Aristoteleia. Through the years Stageira was abandoned and depopulated.
The excavations in the region began in 1990. The most impressive piece that was brought to light is the wall, at the top of the hill that was built in the classic years.
The different ways of construction can be distinguished. The wall determines the western limits of the ancient city, surrounded by the sea. The powerful fortification supplemented round and square towers and ramparts that connected with heavy scales. At the top of the hill also appears the relic of the citadel. At the part behind, between the hills, exists the well-maintained remainder from some beautiful, spacious public building, with a gallery and a monumental facade with pillars.
Each year, at summertime, cultural events are organised here, the "Aristoteleia", within the archaeological space, continuing this age-old feast and developing a so much beautiful archaeological site.

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