On the southern side of Thassos, there is the peninsula of Aliki, which is surrounded by two sheltered bays that are natural harbors. At the mouth of the eastern bay in Aliki is the ancient sanctuary of the middle of the 7th century BC.
It is a building with dimensions of 30 and 15 meters, which essentially consists of two buildings. The southern building, which is preserved in fairly good condition, is square and has a facade with five Doric columns. The building consists of two unequal rooms. In the center of the northern hall, a low sacrificial hearth ("eschara") surrounded by marble stones was revealed. The building, a work of the 6th c. BC, is the oldest Doric construction on the island. The northern building, in which traces of Doric and Ionic construction are preserved, has a layout similar to that of the southern building. It also has an almost square floor plan and on its western side a portico with a colonnade can be distinguished. It consists of two rooms of unequal size, of which the northern one has a "shack".
The excavations carried out at the site brought to light a kouro which is in the Museum of Constantinople, as well as a number of inscriptions that testify to the continuation of worship at the sanctuary until the late Roman years. Inscriptions have been found on the bases of columns wishing good luck to the ships that came to the island to load marble from the quarries and then departed from Aliki (Sarapis, Heraklis, Poseidon, Artemis, Asklepios). This excavation find leads to the conclusion that the sanctuary was dedicated to the Dioskouri, (Castor and Polydeuces) who were the patrons of sailors. Also on the steps of the northern building were found engraved names of visitors, their lovers and their loved ones.
Worship at the site begins in the 7th century. BC, when the first Parian settlers settled on the island and continues until the 3rd century. BC The two buildings were built at the end of the 6th to the beginning of the 5th century BC.
Editor: Fotini Anastasopoulou