The Commercial and the Military Port in Thassos
The harbor of Thassos ©ronsaunders47/Flick
The old Commercial Port of Thassos appeared in the seventh century BC because of the strategic location on the trade routes of the city from the Aegean Sea to the Thrace and the Black Sea, because the subsoil rich in precious metals (gold and silver), because of the forest and large grape vines areas, which led to the development of Thassos, a real commercial and naval power.
The former Military Port of the Thassos town is currently known as the “little port” or “old port” and was located in front of the city market, communicating with it through two gates.
The Commercial Port of Thassos
The Old Trading Port of Thassos communicated with the Ancient Agora of the city through two gates, built outside the city perimeter, as a north-eastern extension of the naval base. The port functioned until the seventh century AD, and today you see only the ruins of the old dam at an average depth of -1 m to -2 m.
Today, the Commercial Port of Thassos is one of the favorite places of the residents of this area, doe to the multitude of leisure opportunities it offers. The typical Greek houses offer a great view over the commercial port of which piers are anchored both large vessels as well as fishing or personal boats. If you have the opportunity, it is advisable to find accommodation in the in the Commercial Port of the Island of Thassos.
Boats in the port of Thassos ©ronsaunders47/Flick
The Military Port of Thassos
The Military Port of Thassos streches to the northeast over 148.6 m, and its south-western part was extended for another 45 meters, as long as it was the lenghts of the docks. Equivalently, its southern part was ectended to the north-east by another 31 m, after this section being the entrance that led to the port. There have been raised two defense towers and protective walls along the digs as well. The wall thickness was approximately 3 m consisting of blocks of marble at the exterior, while the interior was filled with much smaller stones.
The harbor of Thassos ©ronsaunders47/Flick
According to the researches, there have probably been three vessel storage complexes within the harbor basin, the north-eastern part probably hosted seven ships, the south- eastern part hosted six ships and the the western part hosting seven vessels. These docks were built in the middle of the fifth century BC, and are therefore the oldest remnants of buildings used for this purpose in the classical period.
The Military Port of Thassos funtioned as a naval base from the sixth century BC until the II century AD, and after the renovations made during the Byzantine period it was transformed into a commercial port.
The port of Thassos ©wallygrom/Flick
