Pydna () was an
ancient Greek
Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...
city in what is now the
regional unit
The 74 regional units of Greece (, ; singular , ) are the country's third-level administrative units (counting decentralized administrations as first-level). They are subdivisions of the country's 13 regions, and are further divided into municip ...
of
Pieria,
Central Macedonia
Central Macedonia ( ; , ) is one of the thirteen Regions of Greece, administrative regions of Greece, consisting the central part of the Geographic regions of Greece, geographical and historical region of Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia. With a ...
,
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
. It is an important place in the
history of Pieria and a major archaeological site located directly at the
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...
, 16 km northeast of
Katerini
Katerini (, ''Kateríni'', ) is a city and municipality in northern Greece, the capital city of Regional Unit of Piera in Central Macedonia, Greece. It lies on the Pierian plain, between Mount Olympus and the Thermaikos Gulf, at an altitude ...
, 28 km north-east of
Dion and 2.5 km from the village of
Makrygialos. Nearby are two Macedonian tombs, discovered by the French archaeologist
Heuzey during his Greek travels in the mid-19th century. Furthermore, the fortress-like bishop's seat
Louloudies is located a few kilometers south of Pydna.
History
Prehistoric Pydna
Even from
Mycenaean times (1400 BC) settlements were found in the hills north of the excavation site. From 1000 to about 600 BC the area was inhabited by
Thracians
The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European languages, Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared betwee ...
. The eastern part of the settlement has slipped into the sea; the western half is preserved, but has not yet been excavated.
Classical Pydna
Pydna was already a part of the Macedonian kingdom under
Alexander I Alexander I may refer to:
* Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon from 495 to 454 BC
* Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus
* Alexander I Theopator Euergetes, surnamed Balas, ruler of the Seleucid Empire 150-145 BC
* Pope Alex ...
; first mentioned by the Greek historian
Thucydides
Thucydides ( ; ; BC) was an Classical Athens, Athenian historian and general. His ''History of the Peloponnesian War'' recounts Peloponnesian War, the fifth-century BC war between Sparta and Athens until the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been d ...
, it gained importance during the
Peloponnesian War
The Second Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), often called simply the Peloponnesian War (), was an Ancient Greece, ancient Greek war fought between Classical Athens, Athens and Sparta and their respective allies for the hegemony of the Ancien ...
. The
Athenians
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
unsuccessfully besieged Pydna in 432 BC. After seceding from Macedonian rule it was again besieged in 410 BC by King
Archelaus I of Macedonia, who guarded the land side while an allied Athenian fleet guarded the sea. After the city was taken, Archelaus moved its population to a new site 20
stadia farther inland, the present location of
Kitros
Kitros () is a village of the Pydna-Kolindros municipality. Under Ottoman rule, it was known as Çitroz (). Before the 2011 local government reform, it was part of the municipality of Pydna, of which it was the seat. The 2021 census recorded 1,0 ...
. The inhabitants of Pydna moved back to their old seaside site after Archelaus's death in the early 4th century. The Athenians, under Timotheus, seized Pydna in 364-363 BC, only to have it retaken in 357 BC by
Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon (; 382 BC – October 336 BC) was the king (''basileus'') of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedonia from 359 BC until his death in 336 BC. He was a member of the Argead dynasty, founders of the ...
, the father of
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...
. Thereafter the city remained part of the kingdom of Macedonia until the Roman conquest.
Olympias
Olympias (; c. 375–316 BC) was a Ancient Greeks, Greek princess of the Molossians, the eldest daughter of king Neoptolemus I of Epirus, the sister of Alexander I of Epirus, the fourth wife of Philip of Macedon, Philip II, the king of Macedonia ...
, wife of Philip II and mother of Alexander, fled to Pydna in 317 BC, having incurred Cassander's wrath by scheming against Phillip III and his wife. After a siege, Cassander captured the city and killed Olympias in the spring of 316 BC.
Parts of the city wall, built in the 5th century BC, are located 500 m north of the ancient site. The exact course of the city wall is unknown. In excavation work, only parts have been discovered so far. The wall was not made of stone but of clay. It was destroyed after the city was taken by Philip II.
Pydna issued its own coins for the first time in the late 6th century BC. Further coins were found dating from between 389 and 379 BC.
Roman Pydna
On 22 June 168 BC,
Perseus
In Greek mythology, Perseus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Περσεύς, Romanization of Greek, translit. Perseús) is the legendary founder of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus and Bellerophon, the greatest Greek hero and slayer of ...
, the last Macedonian king, lost the
Battle of Pydna
The Battle of Pydna took place in 168 BC between Rome and Macedon during the Third Macedonian War. The battle saw the further ascendancy of Rome in the Hellenistic world and the end of the Antigonid line of kings, whose power traced back ...
to the Roman commander
Aemilius Paullus, who afterwards took the epithet "Macedonicus". This battle ended the reign of the
Antigonid dynasty over Macedonia, and Pydna subsequently became a
Roman colony
A Roman (: ) was originally a settlement of Roman citizens, establishing a Roman outpost in federated or conquered territory, for the purpose of securing it. Eventually, however, the term came to denote the highest status of a Roman city. It ...
.
Christian Pydna
The Christianization of Pydna began in the fourth century. At this time the first basilica was built. At the beginning of the 6th century a second basilica was built. Both basilicas were dedicated to the patron of the city, St. Alexander. The second basilica was burnt down after an attack by the Bulgarians. At the end of the 10th century a much larger basilica was built in its place. It measured 23.20 m by 16.60 m. It was decorated with frescoes and the floor was laid out with mosaic. During the Franconian period, the basilica was expanded into a fortress. A well was drilled and supplies were laid. Inside the basilica is a 22 meter deep well with a stone fountain. Next to the well there was a cistern. A subterranean corridor was dug, which was to allow the crew of the castle to escape outside.
In the apse, facing the sea, there was a Fryktoria, to exchange light signals with the opposite Chalkidiki peninsula. In this way, light signals were transmitted to larger distances by means of torches, and messages could be transmitted within a short time over hundreds of kilometers.
Spolia
''Spolia'' (Latin for 'spoils'; : ''spolium'') are stones taken from an old structure and repurposed for new construction or decorative purposes. It is the result of an ancient and widespread practice (spoliation) whereby stone that has been quar ...
s (remains and fragments of columns and other masonry work) were incorporated into the surrounding wall. The wall was built in two phases. In the 6th century, during the time of Justinian, the first construction phase took place. In the 10th century the wall was reinforced and some of the gates were walled up. The wall is about 1.40 m thick and was reinforced by rectangular towers. Some of the remains of the complex date from the 16th century, the time of the occupation of Greece by the Ottomans.
West of the road, which formerly connected Pydna with Dion, are remains of the city walls and a city gate to be seen. The current course of the road is largely identical to that of the ancient road.
Late in the first millennium of the Christian era Pydna became a
bishopric
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
under the name Kitros or Citrus. It is included in the ''
Notitia Episcopatuum The ''Notitiae Episcopatuum'' (singular: ''Notitia Episcopatuum'') were official documents that furnished for Eastern countries the list and hierarchical rank of the metropolitan and suffragan bishoprics of a church.
In the Roman Church (the mos ...
'' of
Leo VI the Wise
Leo VI, also known as Leo the Wise (; 19 September 866 – 11 May 912), was Byzantine Emperor from 886 to 912. The second ruler of the Macedonian dynasty (although his parentage is unclear), he was very well read, leading to his epithet. During ...
(866–912). Its bishop Germanus participated in the
Photian Council of Constantinople (879)
The Fourth Council of Constantinople was held in 879–880. It confirmed the reinstatement of Photius I as patriarch of Constantinople.
The result of this council is accepted by the Eastern Orthodox as having the authority of an ecumenical c ...
. In the aftermath of the
Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...
Citrus became a
Latin Church
The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...
diocese, as witnessed by a letter of
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III (; born Lotario dei Conti di Segni; 22 February 1161 – 16 July 1216) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 until his death on 16 July 1216.
Pope Innocent was one of the most power ...
in 1208, which does not give the name of the bishop of the see.
[Michel Lequien]
''Oriens christianus in quatuor Patriarchatus digestus''
Paris 1740, Vol. II, coll. 79-82 It is now listed by the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
as a
titular see
A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbi ...
.
[''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ), p. 871]
Medieval Pydna
Between the 6th and 7th century AD, Pydna was named Kitros, and was the most important town of Pieria until the 14th century. In the 11th and 12th centuries Kitros was the seat of a
Katepanikion
The ''katepánō'' (, ) was a senior Byzantine military rank and office. The word was Latinized as ''capetanus/catepan'', and its meaning seems to have merged with that of the Italian "capitaneus" (which derives from the Latin word "caput", mean ...
.
In 1204 Kitros, after a siege, was taken by the
Franks
file:Frankish arms.JPG, Aristocratic Frankish burial items from the Merovingian dynasty
The Franks ( or ; ; ) were originally a group of Germanic peoples who lived near the Rhine river, Rhine-river military border of Germania Inferior, which wa ...
. They turned the bishop's church into a castle and built a tower in which their commander-in-chief resided.
In the 14th century the inhabitants left the village and settled in today's Kitros, in the inland of the country.
Archaeology

At the site of the ancient Pydna, the visible buildings are from the
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
era. The remains of the ancient Polis from the Classical, Hellenistic and, possibly, pre-Greek period are lying, at least partly, under the Byzantine buildings. The entire complex measures 320 m by 130 m.
So far, the surrounding
necropolis
A necropolis (: necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'' ().
The term usually implies a separate burial site at a distan ...
have been released. They have a considerable size. The northern necropolis contains more than 3300 graves. They date from the late
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
, around 1400 BC, Until the time of Hellenisticism, at the beginning of the 3rd century BC. These are very large pits, in which numerous excavations were found. Many of them are kept in the archaeological museum in Thessaloniki. Two other necropolises are located in the west and south of Pydna. The Western was founded at the time of the classical period, in the 5th century BC, and was used until the Hellenistic period. The southern graying site dates from Hellenistic times and was cultivated until the Roman period. The size of the tombs and the valuable burial gifts indicate that more prosperous people were buried here. The southern and western necropolis are not archaeologically explored as well as the northern ones.
Near the harbor a kiln for pottery and a guest house with bathroom was excavated.
See also
*
Pydna curse tablets
*
Pydna-Kolindros
Pydna–Kolindros (, ''Pýdna-Kolindrós'') is a municipality in the Pieria (regional unit), Pieria regional unit, Central Macedonia, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Aiginio. The municipality has an area of 339.525 km2.
Municipa ...
*
List of ancient Greek cities
This is an incomplete list of ancient Greek cities, including colonies outside Greece, and including settlements that were not sovereign '' poleis''.
Many colonies outside Greece were soon assimilated to some other language but a city is included h ...
References
Bibliography
* Matheos Besios: "Pieridon Stefanos: Pydna, Methoni kai archaeotites tis voria Pierias" (Πιερίδων Στεφανός: Πύδνα, Μεθώνη και οι αρχαιότητες της βόριας Πιερίας),
* L. Heuzey & H. Daumet: Mission Archéologique de Macédoine (1876)
Free Travel Guide about the Olympus regionTitle: ''Mount Olympus'' - Ancient Sites, Museums, Monasteries and Churches
External links
Liviusby Jona Lendering (ancient history of Pydna)
The Third Macedonian War and the Battle of Pydna (168 BC)by John Foss
*
{{Authority control
Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Pieria
Buildings and structures in Pieria (regional unit)
Coloniae (Roman)
Former populated places in Greece
Cities in ancient Greece
Roman sites in Greece
Populated places in ancient Macedonia
Greek colonies in Pieria