| |
 ARCHAEOLOGICAL
SITES - DEMETRIAS
|
| |
|
|
DEMETRIAS
Demetrias is situated at a distance of 1,5 km south
of the modern town of Volos. The site in which the Hellenistic
town was established, dates back to the Neolithic times.
In the peninsula north-east of Demetrias, known as Magoula
Pefkakia, a very important prehistoric site flourished.
The prehistoric settlement
at Pefkakia, due to its dominant position, was developed and turned into
a commercial harbour and trading post of utmost importance
by means of which the thessalian main land was able to
communicate with areas such as Thrace, Asia Minor, the
islands of the Aegean Sea and southern Greece, especially
in the later phase of the Bronze Age, which is mainly
known as the Mycenaean period. |
|
As soon as Demetrios Poliorketes became king
of Macedonia in 294 B.C., unified the small villages
of the district, with the purpose of creating an
economically and politically powerful town within
a strategic site.
Demetrios and his successors used
Demetrias as a base for political interference
and military attacks against Thessaly and Southern
Greece. The big prosperity of Demetrias as a commercial
and political centre took place from 217 to 168 B.C.
The excavations in Demetrias began at the end of
the 19th century and are still in progress. |
|
 |
|
Demetrias during the roman era lost its importance,
although it remained the capital of the Union of Magnetes.
From the 1st century B.C. it started to diminish. The greater
part of its territory area was abandoned and its residential
nucleus, in the Roman age, lied north of the imaginary
straight line between the theatre and the anaktoron by
the sea. In that place the existence of social and public
buildings has been ascertained. Demetrias in the early
Christian period obtained luxurious social buildings and
two churches with mosaic floors and rich architectural
decoration, one in the settlement of the northern harbour
known as Basilica of Damokratia, and the second in the
south of the town outside the wall, known as the Cemeterian
Basilica.
Demetrias was inhabited until the end of the 6th century - beginning of the
7th and then was abandoned. |
| |
|
The walls
The ancient town was protected by a strong wall built in the pseudo-isodomic
system. It is saved almost in all its perimeter (circ. 11 km) except from
a big part of the north wall by the harbour, which is destroyed. The acropolis
is situated in the NW, in the highest point of the town. |
 |
|
The painted grave stelai
The towers of the east side were repaired and enlarged in a hurry, probably at
the beginning of the 1st century B.C., during the Mithridatic war. For the
above works, the famous painted gravestones carried off from the town cemeteries
were used as a building material, to fill the space created between the old
towers and their prolongation. The mudbricks, which covered them, prevented
the influence of humidity and lighting and created favourable conditions
for the maintenance of the colours. The themes of the paintings were inspired
by every day life i.e. the farewell of the dead, a funeral feast, the embellishment
of the dead woman by her servant, the conditions which caused death, as in
the gravestone of Hedisti who died during her childbirth. Other more rare
scenes have to do with warriors, hunters etc. There are also gravestones
painted with a simpler decoration such as red ribbons tied in bow, rosettes,
etc. |
|
The Heroon
The Heroon, a building above the Theatre is considered to have been a temple
by Ap. Arvanitopoulos or the mausoleum of its founder. |
The Theatre
The Theatre was constructed during the first half of the third century B.C. It
was repaired at least four times until the second half of the fourth century,
when it was permanently abandoned. |
|
 |
|
The Aqueduct
The huge technical work that was made for the town ΄ s water supply is probably
a creation of the beginning of the 4th century A.D. The aqueduct was bringing
water to Demetrias from the mountain Pelion. Nowadays, only the pillars still
exist, upon which the built irrigation ditch was supported. |
 |
|
The Anaktoron
The Anaktoron (palace) was built on a hillock in the eastern section of the town.
On the highest spot of the hill, there is a peristyle courtyard with doric
columns, with apartments on the three sides, while on the northern side stand
the workshops of copper and a big sewerage pipe. The building had two storeys.
In its four corners there are four powerful towers. In the west side of the
peristyle two storeys of the Anaktoron are developed in lower terraces. The
walls of the building were decorated with wall paintings of grey, red, white
and yellow colour, which were imitating marble.
From the architectural decoration of the building
parts of doric capitals have been saved, columns
and semi-columns made of calcareous limestone and
sandstone, coated with white mortar. There are also
earthenware spouts with lion heads, stamped tiles
and other interesting evidence. The Anaktoron was
abandoned approximately in the middle of the 2nd
century B.C. T |
|
| hat is the end of the Macedonian domination in Greece,
after the death of King Perseus in Pydna in 167 B.C. by the
Romans and the complete domination of the Romans in Greece
in 146 B.C. Part of it was used during the Roman times as
a cemetery. |
| |
The Sacred Agora
The Sacred Agora (Forum) lies in the south of the Anaktoron and used to be the
administrative centre of the town. In that place the temple of Artemis Iolkia
was also situated. |
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| INFORMATION |
|
| |
|
| Address |
Demetrias |
Opening hours
|
The site can be visited after communication with the Ephorate |
| Tickets |
|
| Telephone |
+30-2410-25.285, 28.563 |
| |
|
|
| |
| |
|
| |
|
