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| North Greece | |||
Macedonia which together with Thrace or Thraki form North Greece, belonged to the sphere of Greek history since 2300 BC. It was at that period that early Helladic tribes penetrated the broader area of Macedonia. In subsequent centuries some of these tribes , Macedni or Macedonians, became active in the area and according to Isiodos, inhabited the district around Pieria mountains. Later in about 110 BC a number of these Macedonians came further south and mingled with the Doric tribes. Isolated in the north, Macedonians , though belonging to the Hellenic linguistic group at first were not as culturally advanced as the rest of the Greeks and especially those of the southern greek city states. So far at Vergina, excavations have brought to light a cemetery of the Iron Age and of the Geometric Era, remains of the royal palace, three royal tombs with frescoes of unique quality. The largest and richest of these , according to professor Andronikos who carried out the excavations, should be attributed to King Philip the Second who was assassinated and buried there, in accordance with the old Macedonian tradition of buring royalty in their ancient capital. At the close of the 5th BC century Pella became the new capital of the state. Half way through the 4th century BC Macedonia became the leading power in the Hellenic world thanks to King Philip the Second who was proclaimed head of the Hellenic Federation. The dreams and plans of Philip the Second were distined to be carried out by his son Alexander who marched his army as far as the banks of Indus river. It is thanks to Alexander named "The Great" that Greek civilisation and language was spread among countries as far as Central Asia. Ancient cities which flourished particularly in Macedonia were Pella, Dion, Philippi and Kassandreia. Thessakloniki the capital of Macedonia with its renown monuments and churches occupied second place to Constantinople during the Byzantine years. At about the same time the cities Veria, Kastoria, Serres, Edessa and Servia also flourished. Development in Macedonia during the last 70 years has been impressive. Especially after 1950 there has been rapid growth in all directions. The area consits of 13 prefectures plus Mount Athos (Agion Oros) which is a self governing section of the Greek State. The west part of Macedonia consists of Pella, Florina, Kastoria, Grevena, Kozani, Imathia and Pieria. On the east we have Halkidiki, Serres and Kavala while in the entral part we have Naousa, Veria, Litohoro, Katerini. On the mountainous Macedonia the interest turns to the ski centres, trekking or exploring beautiful lakes such as Kerkini as well as gorges and caves (Alistrati and Petralona). Summer is the most interesting period of the year for the areas of coastal Pieria, Thessalokini, Kassandra and Sithonia in Halkidiki and not one to forget the quiet and relaxing area of Ouranoupolis at the beginning of Athos penninsula, from which or from Ierissos daily short cruises are leading you from a distance of 300 metres to the devine scenery of all Holy Monasteries standing there for centuries either inside or on the coast.
This is the part connecting Europe with Asia and Aegean Sea with Black Sea. Life shows its existence since 3000 BC here and the contacts start to take place with the island of Limnos, Lesvos and the ancient Troia. The name of this part according to the legend comes from "Thrace" the daughter of Oceanus, sister of Europe, Asia and Libia, or from the Greek word "trahia" which means an area raf because of the climate and the environment. This is the place where since the ancient years as it is said many religious ideas and ceremonies (Orfika, Dionisia and Kaviria) came from. The area of Thrace consists of three prefectures, Evros on the east, Rodopi in the centre and Xanthi on the west. Excavations at the area have brought up samples of life starting from the Palaeolithic Age near the rivers Evros and Ardas. Close to the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age Tracian races start spreading in Trace continuing the prehistoric tradition. Settlements of that age have been found both on naturally protected hills known as "Thracian Citadels" and flat locations. When Thrace was part of the Roman Empire the Romans promoted and strengthened the local Greek character. Via Egnatia was constructed remains of which can be found in numerous places along the main route to Constantinople. During the Byzantine Era the area is close to the capital city Constantinople and once more many monuments bear witness to its prosperity: Didimotiho, with its castle and 23 towers, the fortress of Ioannis Katakouzinos in Pythio and the cavern of Agios Theodoros in Alexandroupolis transformed into a temple wall painted in two phases. Since the 18th century, the Greek element of the area has flourished both economically and intellectually. Traces of this peak can be found in Soufli, the land of silk, Metaxades and Didimotiho. Today Thrace has to offer a lot to a visitor. The town of Xanthi the first to visit leaving the prefecture of Kavala, where the University of Thrace is based, the town of Komotini capital of Rodopi prefecture, built around a pre Byzantine fortress of the 4th century BC and Alexandroupolis the capital of Evros prefecture, from where one can easily visit the island of Samothraki and the the Evros Delta, known for the ecosystem with international importance according to the Ramsar Convention. Delta's geographical position and climate contributed into creating a vital place of hospitality for a great variety of animals. Lakes, lacy coasts, peninsulas and many branches of Evros river form a unique environment suitable for the survival of rare species of fauna and types of flora all over Europe. |
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