Aliki Archaeological Site

In antiquity
Thassos was famed for its marble, which was shipped across Greece right up to
the Slavic invasions in the 6th and 7th centuries, and it’s a trade that has
only recently been revived.

On a rocky
peninsula in the southeast of the island you can examine one of the sources of
this prized material.

The quarry was
in use from as early as the 12th century BC and the two coves on either side
functioned as ports.

The great sheets
of marble are on the southeast side of the peninsula and if you stand on the
edge you can see wedges in the water.

At the highest
of the peninsula are what’s left of a pair of early Christian basilicas.

These churches
were frequented by sailors shipping marble, and the votive inscriptions they
left behind are still visible.