Evraiokastro in Thassos is a low rocky headland that juts into the sea beside the old harbour of Limenas, the main town of the island. Ruins of a large Early Christian basilica of the fifth and sixth centuries AD crown its summit, while the sacred deposits of an ancient sanctuary lie buried at its foot. … Read more
The Sanctuary of Dionysos in Thassos, known in antiquity as the Dionysion, honoured the god of wine, theatre and ecstatic release beside the great stone auditorium of the ancient city. Dionysos held a natural claim on Thassos, an island grown rich on the export of famous wine across the northern Aegean. His compact precinct rose … Read more
The Sanctuary of Poseidon in Thassos crowned the maritime quarter of the ancient island city, where the sea-god guarded the harbours, the fleet and every sailor who put out from the port. Poseidon ruled the waves that carried Thasian marble, gold and wine across the northern Aegean, and his precinct rose on level ground beside … Read more
The Sanctuary of Artemis in Thassos, known to archaeologists as the Artemision, ranks among the oldest cult sites of the ancient island city and one of its richest. Artemis watched over Thasian women, guarded the young and protected the wider polis from a walled precinct near the heart of Limenas. Worshippers left ivories, gold jewellery, … Read more
The ancient gates of Thassos pierce the marble defensive walls that once ringed the harbour city of Limenas on the northern Aegean island of Thassos. Builders cut these monumental doorways into a circuit of pale local stone in the late sixth and early fifth centuries BC. Sculptors carved gods and heroes onto the flanking blocks, … Read more
The Sanctuary of Herakles in Thassos, known in antiquity as the Herakleion, was the principal civic cult of the ancient island city and the home of its chief patron deity. Herakles guarded Thassos as protector, savior and founding hero, and his great precinct filled the south-western quarter of ancient Limenas. Priests, magistrates and athletes gathered … Read more