Anastasiopolis

About

Anastasiopolis-Peritheorion is an archaeological site located in northern Greece, southeast of the village of Amaxades in the Rhodope regional unit in Western Thrace. Parts of the fortification walls of the ancient city of Anastasiopolis (5th – 9th centuries) and Peritheorion (9th century) are still visible. It is unclear whether these are two different cities or a single one that has been renamed in the meantime. The ancient city was an important port on the Aegean Sea and station on the Via Egnatia.

Anastasiopolis: The city is located in a fertile area north of Lake Vistonida, through which it was originally connected to the Aegean Sea. The ancient city of Tirida was probably located nearby. This in turn is probably identical with Stabulum Diomedis, a road station on the Via Egnatia road, which is attested in late antique itineraries. Its name is derived from the fact that in this region the horses of Diomedes are said to have grazed there, which, according to Greek myth, were tamed by Heracles. The city of Anastasiopolis itself is first mentioned in the 6th century by the historian Procopius of Caesarea. The name is traced back to the emperor Anastasius I Dicorus...