At the site of the low hill of Saraya, on the beach near the Evros Delta, rises a rocky outcrop, which oversees the lowland area around the Delta. In this strategic position is placed the ancient Doriskos, which is mentioned by Herodotus as the "coastline" and "pedion mega" of Thrace as well as the "Royal Wall", which was founded by Darius I (522-486) in 512 BC. x during his campaign against the Scythians (519-511 BC) and established a permanent garrison there. The ancient city of Doriskos in 480 BC. it served as a place of inspection and line-up for the army of Xerxes (485-465 BC) and as a supply center. Later, when the coastal Thracian cities were freed from the Persians, Doriskos developed into a commercial center, became a member of the Athenian League, and became the point of contact between Athens and the Thracians of the interior.
During the time of Philip II, the ancient Doriskos, as well as the wider area, came under Macedonian rule, which was a huge loss for the Athenians. Later it was one of the bases of M. Alexander's campaign to Asia and then for a short period, it came under the control of the Ptolemies. Doris is still mentioned in sources up to Roman times.
Systematic archaeological investigations brought to light a multitude of finds dating from Prehistoric to Late Hellenistic times. The finds include pottery, sealed amphora handles from neighboring Ainos, Thassos and Samothrace, coins from the Classical and Hellenistic Periods, clay figurines, textile weights, architectural members and a large number of small clay and metal objects. An inscription - resolution of the 3rd-2nd BC. century found in the area states that every year a "festival" was held in honor of the god Asklepios and Roitis, a Thracian river deity. In addition, the architectural finds and the building material of the ancient buildings are also important. A small-scale excavation carried out by Diamantis Triantafyllos in 1971 revealed parts of an enclosure, part of the city wall of the 4th century BC. which was made of porolit with the isodomic system, stone-paved courtyard of the 4th century BC. and a violated box-shaped tomb with porina slabs. Also important is the Hellenistic marble "cataliptera" from a building of limited dimensions, probably "heroon". In the wider area of Doriskos is also Harakoma, a small town of Samothrace Perea noted by Strabo, while very close to the current village of Doriskos a section of the Egnatia Road (end of the 2nd century BC) is preserved.
Editor: Niki Kalopaidis