Thasitic Peraia
The mainland possession of Thasos from around the middle of the 7th century BC. BC until the rule by the Macedonians was called the Thasitic Peraia . Above all, the legendary Thracian gold mines in the Pangaion Mountains were the reason for the Greek colonists of the island of Thasos to establish themselves on the opposite mainland between Strymon and Nestos and to bring the ore-rich southern Rhodope under their control.
Pre-colonial population
Within the period 12./11. Century BC Ethnic groups of various origins from the Caucasus, Anatolia and the Balkan Peninsula had invaded the northern Aegean region, including numerous Thracian tribes. Between the Evros the east and the Strymon the west mentioned Herodotus (I to VII) in the east coast region, the Cicones , in the coastal area of Peraia the Sapierer , in Symvolon the Dersaier , in Marmaras Valley the Pierer , in the high mountain area of Pangaion the Satren , the Bessen and odomanti , west and north of the Pangaion in the valley of the lower Strymon and Angites the edoni , further north the Paioner and Paiopler , as well as in the upper Strymontal the Bryger . They founded fortified settlements and acropolises on heights, which testifies to possible unrest and armed conflicts with the indigenous population. The Thracian tribes residing in the area of interest of the Thasites were active in trade, agriculture, timber and mining. Mines and ore smelters may have been operated by the Thracians for a number of centuries on various ores at various locations and the metals extracted were processed and traded.
Foundations and limits of the Peraia
Peraia, built by the Parians, was probably built in two phases. The first coincides with the establishment of the first secure trading centers in Neapolis , Oisyme , Galepsos and Stryme in the time immediately after the settlement on Thasos in the second half of the 7th century BC. From Neapolis, Oisyme and Stryme there are numerous and important finds from this time, from the city and the necropolis of Galypsos there is still no relevant evidence until today (2010). According to new findings, the Thasitic settlement Berge is the westernmost settlement . In the 6th century BC BC on the Strymon, about 50 km northwest of Amphipolis near the town of Neos Skopos, was a particularly advantageous location and important for the exchange of goods with the Thracian dynasties.
Ceramic surface finds and small excavations showed that in a second phase, from the second half of the 6th century to the second half of the 5th century BC. In the west of Neapolis the smaller fortified emporia Apollonia and Antisara (today's Kalamitsa), to the east Nea Karvali and, as the youngest Thasitic settlement in Thrace, Pistyros , as well as some other anonymous settlements were founded. Starting from these bases, the surrounding area of these settlements, the respective Chora (χώρα), was colonized. The coastal region, especially the fertile western Nestos Delta around Pistyros, was developed for agriculture. From Neapolis, over the Stena Sapaion, the narrow passage between Symvolon and Lekanis, the Thasites reached the wide fertile plain of the later Philippi between Pangaion and Lekanis. The Thasites also seem to have penetrated into the area of today's Elefteroupoli. In the extreme west, the border of the Thasitic Peraia ran along the western foothills of the Symvolon to the walls of Phrages, a settlement of the Thracian Pierer . As the eastern border, the Nestos River and its delta can be considered secure. However, the settlement Stryme is separate from the core area of the Peraia, about eleven kilometers east of the Nestos Delta. To the north, doubts arise about the border areas claimed by the colonizers.
From Neapolis, Nea Karvali and Pistyros the Thasites penetrated into the mountain regions of the Symvolon and especially into the Lekanis via the river valleys leading north. The aim was to take over the mines and smelting facilities that had been opened up by the Thracians and were in operation, to open up further potential precious metal deposits and to secure the access routes. Due to the extremely hostile Thracian population, who offered fierce resistance, as Archilochus , who was personally involved in the first conquest, reports, the Thasites do not seem to have managed to settle in the Mamaras Valley , between Symvolon and Pangaion. Neither in the time of Herodotus (491–490 BC) nor later in the 4th century were they strong enough to penetrate the inaccessible and impenetrable high mountains of the Pangaion and establish themselves there. Even Xerxes left the Pangaion Mountains with their gold and silver mines on the right, which are inhabited by Pierers and Otomanters, but mainly by Satrians .
The period of economic prosperity of the Thasite colonial rule began at the end of the 6th century BC. And lasted until about 463 BC. When the Thasites lost mines and settlements in the Peraia for the first time due to their exit from the first Attic League. The Athenians controlled the possessions until 447/6 BC. 411 BC The Spartans took the Thasitic coastal settlements and 410 BC. The island of Thasos. Only Neapolis defended itself successfully, remained loyal to Athens and declared 411 BC. Its independence, d. H. the waste from the motherland of Thasos, including land and mining operations in the northern hinterland. As a result, Neapolis was besieged long but unsuccessfully by the Thasites. The Athenian Thrasyboulos defeated the Thasite fleet in 408/7 BC. The Spartan Lysander conquered the island in 404 BC. BC back. Neapolis continued to side with Athens. Not until 390 BC After Thasos was again conquered by the Athenian Thrasyboulos and joined the second Attic League, there was a peace treaty between Neapolis and Thasos mediated by Paros. This resulted in a democratic restoration in Peraia as well as on the island. Until then, the Thasites, in all likelihood, had no access to the Peraia. Activities in the Peraia were revitalized and mainland ownership experienced in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. A new heyday and high prosperity. The Thasites founded 360/59 BC The settlement of Krenides (later Philippi ). The fertile plain around Krenides was of great economic importance for the Peraia. Eventually, however, the Peraia became 340/39 BC. Occupied by Philip II. Thasos, however, retained its land holdings during the times of Macedonian and Roman rule, but sometimes within changed, mostly narrower boundaries. However, it continued to include the part particularly rich in precious metal ores. From the Roman power, the Thasites had to take on the obligation to maintain the Via Egnatia within the Peraia after Justitian I had secured the road through fortified sites such as Topeiros and the castle of Neapolis . The trade, agriculture and mining of the Peraia continued to contribute significantly to the prosperity of the Thai economy.
History of mining and metal extraction
In the 1950s and 60s numerous ore deposits were identified and investigated in the area of the Thasitic Peraia, and prospecting for soap gold in the 70s. During explorations at the Ephoria Kavala , extensive mining facilities, remains of ore processing and smelting facilities and extensive heaps of metallurgical slag were found. Gold and silver were found in mineralogical investigations. Archaeometallurgical analyzes showed that metallurgical products such as gold and silver were exported from the Peraia.
Symvolon
For the Symvolon Mountains, the presence of more significant precious metal deposits can be ruled out. Indications for this are the so far missing finds of soap gold in the mountain rivers. In the area of Folias there are iron ore mines from the 20th century, in the area of which tunnel mouth holes and remains of structures indicate possibly archaic activities. This also applies to the iron ore slag at the Byzantine tower of Apollonia and to the slag in the northern Symvolon near Sidirochori. More important archaic metal extraction, such as in the Pangaion, in the Lekanis and on Thasos, does not exist here. The only signs to date of the presence of higher gold grades in the symvolon from possibly archaic mining tunnels are in the area of Kokinochoma in the east of the mountains. Investigations of the numerous tunnels have apparently not taken place until today. The existence of archaic towers around the archaic settlements of Oisyme and today's Eleftheroupolis may also have been linked to mining.
Pangaion
In the Pangaion , neither the Ephoria Kavala nor the IGME (Xanthi) could provide evidence of richer gold or silver deposits or of more important mining and metallurgy enterprises from archaic times. Only three locations were identified where there are clear indications of mining and metallurgical activities: In the northern foothills of the Pangaion, which should not have been accessible to the Thasites during the heyday of their Peraia, archaeometric investigations at Nikisiani, Palaiochori and Antiphilippi have shown that there in later times, in the 14th century BC BC, melting furnaces were in operation.
In a blatant contradiction to this, Heinz Josef Unger and Ewald Schütz came to the realization in 1980/81 that in classical times there was indeed extensive mining for gold and silver in the Pangaion . In connection with this, numerous fortified hill settlements and an extensive system of paths could be explored around the mountains. The archaeological investigation of the mines and settlements identified and sketched almost 30 years ago has not yet been carried out. It could make a decisive contribution to the discussion about the much vaunted Skapte Hyle .
Lekanis Mountains
In comparison with the Symvolon, the mountain ranges of the Lekanis, especially in regions remote from the coast, show a significant number of mining tunnels and astonishingly extensive heaps of furnace slag. The geological findings and the metallurgical investigations that are available from this area until today (1990) have confirmed the existence of iron-manganese and iron deposits with high gold and silver contents.
Neapolis - Kavala
One of the essential foundations for the extraordinary development of the Neapolis settlement was its mineral wealth in the southwestern Lekanis. From 1970 to 1975 the area of Palaia Kavala was prospected and exploration work was carried out there in the 1980s. Iron-manganese ores containing lead, silver and gold, old mining tunnels, shafts, tailings and slag heaps, also parts of ore processing facilities and marble quarries could be detected.
The ore deposits of Palaia Kavala, which were probably already operated by the Thracians and then taken over and exploited by the Greeks, are located north of the city of Kavala and lie between the places Amygdaleon, Zygos, Kastanies, Kryoneri, Giolia, Goritza, Makrovouni, Mandra Kari, Tria Karagatsia and Pistirma / Chalkero. Over 150 ore deposits can be found here on an area of around 100 km². They are said to be from the end of the 6th century BC. They were exploited during the Roman era and during the Turkish occupation and some were dismantled in the 20th century. The ancient activities focused on the mining of gold and / or lead and silver rich ores. Iron-manganese mining took place in the 1950s and 1970s.
Nea Karvali
A river valley reaching north into the mountains represents one of the accesses for the exploration of the ore deposits in the Lekanis, namely from the Thasite settlement Nea Karvali. In its area there are the mines and slag heaps of Levki, Ano Levki (Lemiki?), Anestiadas, Horesas, as well as possibly further mining and smelting sites to the north. The most north-westerly location is likely to be at the height of today's village of Polynero and thus in the Lekanis on the supposed northern border of the Thasitic Peraia. Sampling at the iron manganese deposits there revealed high gold and silver contents. Mining started here towards the end of the 6th and second half of the 5th century BC. Operated. The age of the mostly covered slag has not yet been determined. At Levki remains of a tower and northwest of Anestiadas numerous tunnel mouth holes were found. In addition, to the northwest of Anestiades, the occurrence of many worked marble fragments was found, which belonged to a large circular facility with a double gutter. The shape and type of the marble fragments, which are reminiscent of spiral-shaped washing facilities in Laurion, suggest dating back to archaic times. On the northwestern border of the village of Ano Levki, artifacts were found that were dated to the Archaic, Early Christian and Post-Byzantine periods.
Pistyros
From the Pistyros settlement, the Thasites had advanced in another river valley to more northern deposit areas and had operated the ancient mines and smelting furnaces at Perni, Makrychori and Pyrgiskos. The dating of the mining near Perni has not yet been determined, but based on the shape of the tunnel mouth holes it suggests an archaic period. The dumping of at least a part, if not all of the dumps in the area of Makrychorio, in archaic times, has been confirmed by the discovery of parts of archaic ceramics, of which the older ones date back to the 4th to 2nd century BC. BC and the later could be dated to Roman times, a period that also applies to metallurgical activities in Thasos.
Physico-chemical investigations on slag samples from the Perni-Petropigi area allow initial conclusions to be drawn about the manner in which gold was extracted from the iron manganese ores. The use of a then progressive smelting process using lead (μόλυβδος) as a precious metal collector was known in the 16th century AD, but has not yet been proven in the archaic metallurgy. The application of this technique falls in the final stages of the metallurgical production of gold and silver in the areas of Perni-Petropigi, Makrychorio and other places during the years of Turkish rule.
literature
- Ch. Koukouli-Chrysanthaki: Τα Μετάλλα της Θασιακής Περαίας, Πόλις και Χώρα στην Μακεδονία και Θράκη. Πρακτικά Αρχαιολογικού Συνεδρίου, Υπουργείου Πολιτισμού, Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Καβάλας και. Ecole Francaise d'Athenes, Kavala 9. – 11. May 1986. Thessaloniki 1990, pp. 493-532. (Greek)
- A. Pavlopoulou: Thrace with Herodotus. Representation of an intermediate world, studies of Herodotus history, geography and ethnography of Thrace. Inaugurial dissertation to obtain a doctorate in philosophy at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Institute for Ancient History. Munich 2006.
- M. Vavelidis, G. Gialoglou, B. Melfos, G. Wagner: Gold mine in Palaea Kavala / Greece. in: ERZMETALL. GDMB , Clausthal-Zellerfeld 1996,9, pp. 547-554.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Z. Bonias: Inscription on the ancient mountains. Cefael 2000, pp. 227-246.
- ↑ Herodotus: VII, 112
- ^ Institute for Geology and Mineral Resources (IGEY): Ore deposits in Eastern Greece-Macedonia and Thrace.
- ^ Society for Geology and Mining (GEMEE): Seifengold in Greece.
- ↑ Heinz Josef Unger, Ewald Schütz: Pangaeon, a mountain range and its mining. In: Bernhard Hänsel , Helmut Geißlinger (Ed.): Southeast Europe between 1600 and 1000 BC Chr. Prehistoric Archeology in Southeastern Europe Vol. 1. Moreland, Berlin 1982, pp. 145–172.
- ^ Greco-French cooperation community: prospecting in the area of Palaia Kavala.
- ^ Institute for Geology and Mineral Exploration (IGME, Xanthi): Geochemical, geophysical and drill core investigations.
- ^ Greek company Oikonomidis and International Petroleum and Mining Company Ltd. (IPAMCO Ltd., USA)
- ^ G. Agricola: De Re Metallica , 1556, edited by C. Hoover, 1950, p. 544