Ancient walk of Paionia

EVROPOS - HOME OF SELEUCUS

ANCIENT EVROPOS – THE KOUROS – “THE CITY OF EVROPOS”

An archeological treasure awaits the visitor in ancient Evropos, which is located just one kilometer away from the contemporary same named town . The excavations that revealed the history of the city of Evropos began in 1989.
The archeological dig brought to light a big part of the deceased land of ancient Evropos and the evidence led to the discovery of the prehistoric city.

One of the top archeological finds discovered in the area is the sculpture of a Kouros, which was found on a field during plowing, in 1966. The statue, at a natural height of 1.80 meters, refers to the morphology of Kouros and is a product of an island and most likely a Cycladic laboratory, as revealed by the marble’s origin.

Kouros dates to the end of the 6th century BC. and is considered one of the latest examples of the Kouros series, because its arms and legs are almost detached from the body, while it is represented with short hair, despite the characteristic hair of the rest we know.

According to archaeologists, Kouros of Evropos was a grave sign, of a prominent citizen, local or even resident from Southern Greece, settled in the ancient city. Its discovery in the region reveals the trade and social-economic relations of Evropos with the other Greek cities.This theory is supported by the shells (pieces of pottery) of Corinthian or Attic black-figure and red-shaped inserted ceramics revealed by the excavation research.

SELEUCUS I NICATOR

Evropos has the rare fortune to be the birthplace of one of the most important generals and successors of Alexander the Great.
Seleucus I Nicator (358 BC or 353 BC – 281 BC) was one of the successors of Alexander the Great and the founder of the Seleucid dynasty, which reigned in the Asian part of the former Persian Empire.
The Ruler of the Seleucid Empire during the period 305 – 281 BC, was born in Evropos of Vottia and this event makes the area especially important for visitors as they walk in the footsteps of the great and immortal man who symbolizes courage, bravery and valiance, because he successfully participated in the glorious campaign of Alexander the Great.
The visitor of the archeological site of Evropos has to watch the corresponding video which is dedicated to Seleucus I Nikator and is produced by the Antiquities Ephorate of Kilkis Town.
This is a video that helps the visitor to travel in History and get to know the great personality of Seleucus I Nicator.

THE OTTOMAN BATH OF POLYKASTRO

The Ottoman Bath in Polykastro (14th century) is a beautiful monument that proves the Ottoman conquest of the area.

A monument that the visitor is worth to know as he will admire its architecture and will mentally travel in the early 15th century, when the timnage of Rognovitsa (that was the name of the current area of Polykastro) was given to Kara Sole and Sophie Elias. Since then the area has been renamed Karasouli. In the middle of the 15th century (circa 1450), the Karasouli timar belonged to Oruch Khan (son of Kara Sole) and Sophia Elias and had 20 Christian and 12 Muslim houses.

Karasouli became Bey’s residence.

The Ottoman Bath is located within the residential area of Polykastro and is supervised by the Antiquities Ephorate of Kilkis. The full promotion of the monument has not been completed yet, however it is worth visiting.

POLYKASTRO IN ANTIQUITY

The archeological dig brought to light several prehistoric settlements, such as Limnotopos, Aspro, Axiochori and Pontoiraklia. Most of the information on the area’s prehistory comes from excavations by British archaeologists before 1940, which continued into the next decade, and the data collected then until the 1980s were the only data on the prehistory of all of Macedonia. In the Bronze Age, the inhabitants of Polykastro seemed to have trade contacts with Southern Greece and the Mycenaeans, who were probably attracted by the rich timber, the possibilities of transport with the currents of Axios river and the mineral-rich subsoil of the area. Archaeological findings indicate that Axiochori was a reference point for the spread of Mycenaean trade in the Macedonian hinterland.

Testimonies of Herodotus and Thucydides are preserved for the area and it is mentioned that the estuary of Axios was then 15 km away from the place of current Polykastro.Most of the surrounding area was covered by swamps and stagnant water and therefore the ancient settlements were located mainly on hills which offered healthier living conditions. The point of the estuary was gradually removed and in the 5th century BC. had reached the height of the present city of Koufalia.

AXIOUPOLIS IN ANTIQUITY

Axioupolis is located in the part of the valley of Axios that was called in the classical period Amfaxitis, while the area was inhabited by Paionians and Vottians. In the 5th century BC. Amfaxitis united with the kingdom of Macedonia and since then follows the fate of the rest of northern Greece.

During the Roman occupation, the area of Axioupolis belonged to the province of Macedonia with Pella as its capital, while in the Byzantine era it received Slavic invasions from Bohemia, who named the valley of Axios, Bohemitsa, meaning little Bohemia. In 1397 it came under Ottoman rule, while in the next three centuries Vlach tribes settled.