• Sign up in our newsletter

Greek

  • Sign up in our newsletter

Photo gallery

Europos, Archaeological Site

Europosis locatedSouthwestof NeoGynaikokastro. The ancient city of Europos has been inhabited since the 6th century BC and is located at about 1 km southwest of the present one. Here, significantly funerary monuments of the late Roman period were found, as well as the famous Kouros of Europos, which is unique in the Northern Greece. Today you can see Kouros in the Archaeological Museum of Kilkis.

The nearby Toumpa is believed to have been a center of Macedonian domination of that time, since interesting Macedonian tombs have been foundthere, that attest to the Greek character of the area for 2500 years.

The data for the city of Europos come mainly from the cemetery of the ancient city. The exposure of a section of the necropolis of Europos turned the graves of its citizens in "lalounta" monuments / symbols of development, culture and history of their city. The oldest evidence of habitation of the city comesfrom the prehistoric settlement in the heart of the current Municipality of Europos.

Top of the archaic findings, not just for the site of Europos, but for the entire prefecture is Kouros. It is a colossal sculpture of a young man, a statue of the type Kouros. It is a product of an islander and possibly a Cycladic laboratory, as evidenced by the origin of its marble. Dating back to the late 6th century BC and can be viewed as one of later examples of the range of Kouros, because its hands and feet are almost detached from the body. The young man is depicted with short hair, without the characteristic headdress of the others. It was obviously giving an "Epitaph label", according to the customs of the time, of a prominent European (from the city of Europos) citizen or local settler from South Greece, living in the city. Its finding confirms the early commercial and socio-economic relations between Europos and the rest of the cities. Witnesses of these relationships are the shellfish-pieces or vases – of Korinthian or Attic black-figure and red-figure pottery that the excavation revealed. During the 5th-4th century BC, it seems to have been one of the most developed and fortified cities of Bottiaia. For this reason,Sitaklis endeavored to capture it and thus ensure the military control of the area. The unsuccessful attempt of the Thracian intrudersuggests the existence of a strong wall that enhanced the bastion of the city.

The majority of the graves are “akteristoi” (graves without any goods for the dead inside). There are tombs “kterismenoi” with vases, weapons, tools, figurines, jewelry and coins, pit-shaped and covered with tiles, which show homogeneity withthe burial customs and practices with the rest of Macedonia. The variety of grave goods offersus an impression on the everyday life, occupations and metaphysical beliefs of the people. Findings of the graves reveal coquetry, a timeless female characteristic: pyxides- a kind of clay vases- in which women placed their jewelry, leaden pouches for cosmetic creams "Psimithia", jewelry of every type made from gold or silver.

Additional Info

  • Coordinates: 40.886237, 22.553545
Show Street View

Experienced Offers

Log in

create an account