A Journey Through Time: Unearthing Thessaloniki’s Past Beneath its Metro

The Thessaloniki Metro, finally completed after over two decades, is more than just a modern transportation marvel. Its construction has unveiled an incredible archaeological treasure trove, revealing a hidden city beneath the modern streets and offering a captivating glimpse into Thessaloniki’s rich past. Why the lengthy construction? The unearthing of over 300,000 artifacts—evidence of an entire second city—required meticulous excavation and preservation, transforming the metro project into an unparalleled archaeological undertaking.

1. A Glimpse of Ancient Grandeur: Step into the Agia Sophia station and be transported back in time. Intricate mosaics unearthed here whisper tales of Thessaloniki’s Roman, Hellenistic, and Archaic Greek heritage, layered beneath the modern-day Egnatia Street. These vibrant fragments offer a visual connection to the city’s opulent past.

2. Echoes of a Bustling Metropolis: Further exploration of the Agia Sophia station reveals more of this ancient cityscape. Cobbled streets, building foundations, and scattered stones paint a vivid picture of a bustling metropolis. Imagine the shops, houses, and workshops that once lined these very streets, where today thousands of Thessalonians continue to live and work, unknowingly walking above the footsteps of their ancestors.

3. The Road Through Time: At the Venizelos station, encounter the impressive Decumanus Maximus, the main Roman road that traversed Thessaloniki from the Vardar River to the area of the present-day universities. This ancient thoroughfare, known as the Egnatia Road during Roman and Byzantine times, was once a vibrant commercial artery lined with stalls, kiosks, and shops. Its abandonment during the Ottoman occupation marks a significant turning point in the city’s history.

4. Unveiling Ancient Rituals: The Syntrivanios station yielded a remarkable discovery: a Hellenistic cemetery. This finding has provided invaluable insights into Hellenistic burial practices, adding significant new knowledge to our understanding of this era. The unearthed tombs and artifacts offer a poignant connection to the lives and beliefs of Thessaloniki’s ancient inhabitants.

The Thessaloniki Metro is a testament to the city’s enduring history, demonstrating how the past can be interwoven with the present. While providing a much-needed modern transportation system, the metro has also become an unexpected archaeological park, offering a unique journey through time for residents and visitors alike.

Source: pagenews.gr