We were heading for Ancient Amphipolis today but wanted to
call in at another archaeological site, Ancient Stageira, on the way. Stageira
was established in the 7th century BC by Ionians from Andros and in 349
BC it was besieged and destroyed by Philip of Macedon. He rebuilt the city as a
reward for Aristotle, who was born in Stageira, when he agreed to tutor his
son. The Macedonian city fell into disuse about the time of Christ but a small
castle was built on the site around 1000 AD.
We arrived at Stageira at 14:45 and were told by the guardian that it was free
to visit but they closed at 15:30. We did know that we were going to only have
a short time to visit but I hadn’t appreciated how large a site it is. Jane
chose to inspect the part of the site closer to the entrance and I charged off
round the site. The position is beautiful with great views over the sea and the
site has been well looked after with good paths and more being developed. I got
back to the entrance with one minute to spare.
On then to Amphipolis. We drove through the village passed the museum (closed
for the day) to the archaeological site at the top of the hill. This was open
until 20:00, so we were able to take our time wandering over it admiring the early
Christian basilicas and their mosaics and the stunning views of mountains and
the sea.
Once again, there are no campsites in the area so we wild camped in the car
park outside the site with a view over a field of poppies, down to the plain
and the mountains beyond. Although we always use campsites when they are
available, we have been able to wild camp in some lovely locations and this is
definitely one of those.
Photos: A view from the acropolis of Ancient Stageira; The agora and portico, a
rectangular building used for public discussion, in front of which was an altar
for sacrifices; One of the basilicas of Amphipolis; 6th century
mosaic; The best form of recycling is reuse – ancient blocks and columns used
in the Byzantine defensive wall; The view from our pitch.
No comments:
Post a Comment