Palaiopolis was the ancient capital of Andros, the island’s only city through the Classical era, occupying a dramatic terraced position on the west coast above the sea. Founded in the Archaic period and destroyed in late antiquity, part of it sliding into the sea. It is reached today by a long flight of old stone steps and is famous as the find-spot of the Hermes of Andros.
This guide covers Palaiopolis in turn: its history and destruction, what survives on the archaeological site. The celebrated Hermes statue found here, how to reach it down the stone stairway and what lies nearby. Read it beside the guide to the museums of Andros, where the Hermes is displayed.
What is Palaiopolis, the ancient capital of Andros?
Palaiopolis was the ancient capital of Andros and its only city in the Classical era, set on the terraced west-coast slopes above the sea.
Long before Chora, Palaiopolis was the capital of Andros, occupying a striking position on the steep, terraced slopes of the west coast where the mountains fall to the sea. Its name means simply the old city. It was the island’s principal settlement and only true city through the Classical era. A place of temples, an agora and a harbour below.
The ancient city commands one of the finest coastal panoramas on the island. Its ruins scattered across the terraces and along the shore beneath the modern village of the same name. For anyone interested in the deep past of Andros, it is the essential ancient site, a rewarding contrast to the medieval and neoclassical capital that later replaced it.
What is the history of Palaiopolis?
Palaiopolis was founded in the seventh to sixth century BC and remained the capital of Andros for over a thousand years.
The city was founded in the Archaic period, in the seventh or sixth century BC. Grew into the political and religious centre of the island. Worshipping Apollo and Dionysus as its principal gods. Through the Classical, Hellenistic and Roman eras it remained the capital, its wealth drawn from the sea and the fertile terraces around it, for well over a thousand years.
Its end came in late antiquity, when an earthquake in the fourth century AD devastated the city and part of it sank beneath the sea. Its ancient harbour now submerged offshore. Life continued on a smaller scale into early Christian times, leaving houses and a basilica among the ruins, before the island’s centre shifted away and the old city faded.
What can you see at the archaeological site of Palaiopolis?
The site preserves stretches of the ancient walls, sanctuaries, a temple of Pythian Apollo, cemeteries and, from early Christian times, houses and a well-preserved three-aisled basilica. The submerged remains of the ancient harbour lie in the sea below.
Excavated since the late twentieth century, the archaeological site spreads across the terraces and down toward the shore. From the ancient city survive sections of the fortification wall, sanctuaries and the foundations of a temple dedicated to Pythian Apollo from the late sixth century BC. Along with cemeteries and scattered remains among the olive terraces.
From the later, early Christian phase the site preserves houses and a three-aisled basilica. Still standing in places to a height of metres, a record of the settlement that outlived the classical city. Below, in the shallows, lie the submerged remains of the ancient port lost to the earthquake. Visible in calm, clear water and adding to the atmosphere of a city partly claimed by the sea.
What is the Hermes of Andros found at Palaiopolis?
The Hermes of Andros is a Hellenistic marble statue in the manner of Praxiteles, found at Palaiopolis in 1832 by a local man digging in the ancient agora.
The most famous discovery at Palaiopolis is the Hermes of Andros, a life-size marble statue of the god carved in the refined style of the fourth-century sculptor Praxiteles. It was found in 1832 by a local landowner, Demetrios Loukrezis, while digging on his plot on the site of the ancient agora. Alongside a second, headless statue of a richly dressed woman.
The graceful Hermes is regarded as one of the finest sculptures found on the island and is today the star exhibit of the Archaeological Museum of Andros in Chora, with a copy shown at Palaiopolis itself. Its discovery is a large part of what has made the ancient capital famous beyond the island.
How do you visit Palaiopolis and reach the site?
Palaiopolis lies on the west coast, off the main Gavrio to Chora road below the modern village of the same name.
The site sits on the west coast of Andros. Reached by turning off the main road between Gavrio and Chora at the modern village of Palaiopolis, which overlooks the ancient city. From the village and the roadside, a long flight of old stone steps, numbering into the hundreds, descends through the terraces and the ruins toward the shore.
The stairway is the classic way into the site, passing scattered remains. A small archaeological collection and sweeping views over the sea as it drops toward the ancient city and the water. The steep descent and the climb back up demand reasonable fitness. Sturdy footwear and water are advisable. But the sense of the island’s deep past set against the wide Aegean rewards the effort.
Can you hike to Palaiopolis?
Yes. Palaiopolis sits on the island’s network of old stone paths, and a marked circular route of the Andros Route links the modern village, the archaeological site and the coast.
For walkers, Palaiopolis is a rewarding goal on the celebrated Andros Route, the island’s network of waymarked old stone paths. A marked circular trail links the modern village with the archaeological site and the shore. Following the old stepped paths through the terraces and past the ruins, combining history with the green landscape and coastal views.
Reaching the ancient capital on foot, rather than only by the roadside steps, adds the terraces. Chapels and panoramas of the west coast to the visit. It is one of the more rewarding shorter walks on the island. For the full network of trails, grades and highlights, see the dedicated guide to hiking in Andros.
What else is near Palaiopolis?
Palaiopolis lies on the west coast between the port of Gavrio and the resort of Batsi, close to the island’s most accessible beaches. The Archaeological Museum in Chora, which holds the Hermes, completes a visit to the ancient capital.
The ancient capital sits on the sheltered west coast, within easy reach of the resort of Batsi and the port of Gavrio. Close to the long. Accessible sands of the western shore such as Agios Petros, so a visit combines readily with a beach day. The terraced setting and the sea views make the drive along this coast rewarding in itself.
To complete the story of Palaiopolis, the Archaeological Museum in Chora, on the far side of the island. Displays the Hermes and other finds from the site, tying the ruins to the treasures they yielded. Together the ancient city and the museum, along with a stop in the resort of Batsi, make a full day exploring the island’s west coast and its deep past. Seeing the ruins in their coastal setting and then the Hermes in the museum gives the fullest sense of the ancient capital and the treasures it produced.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Palaiopolis in Andros worth visiting?
Yes, for anyone interested in the island’s history. Palaiopolis was the ancient capital of Andros for over a thousand years. Its archaeological site preserves ancient walls, a temple of Apollo. An early Christian basilica and the submerged remains of its harbour, set on dramatic terraced slopes with one of the finest coastal views on the island. It is also the find-spot of the celebrated Hermes of Andros, now in the Archaeological Museum in Chora.
Where was the Hermes of Andros found?
The Hermes of Andros was found at Palaiopolis, the ancient capital on the west coast of the island, in 1832, when a local landowner named Demetrios Loukrezis uncovered it while digging on the site of the ancient agora. The life-size Hellenistic marble statue, carved in the manner of Praxiteles. Is now the star exhibit of the Archaeological Museum of Andros in Chora, with a copy displayed at Palaiopolis itself.
How steps lead down to Palaiopolis?
A long stone stairway of several hundred old steps descends from the modern village of Palaiopolis and the roadside through the archaeological site toward the sea. Passing scattered ruins and sweeping coastal views along the way. The steep descent and the climb back up demand reasonable fitness. Sturdy footwear and water are advisable, but the effort is rewarded by the sense of the island’s ancient capital set against the wide Aegean. With the scattered ruins and the submerged harbour giving the long descent a real atmosphere of a lost and half-buried city.