Insights from the Molyvoti, Thrace, Archaeological Project

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Nathan Arrington Professor of Art and Archaeology and Hellenic Studies and Chair of the Department of Art and Archaeology at Princeton University
Marina Tasaklaki, Archaeologist / Numismatist, Ephorate of Antiquities of Rhodope, Hellenic Ministry of Culture
Dr Domna Terzopoulou, Archaeologist, Director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Evros

Located on the periphery of modern Greece, Aegean Thrace occupies an important crossroads between land and sea, East and West. Its geopolitical significance has long been acknowledged: from mythic attempts at control by heroes such as Odysseus and Heracles, to historical endeavors marked by the passage of the Persian Royal Road and, later, the Via Egnatia. In subsequent centuries, this strategic corridor was successively claimed and fought over by Philip II, the Romans, and, until a century ago, by the Bulgarians. Even today, multiple pipelines carrying natural gas from East to West still traverse the region, underscoring its enduring importance.

Despite this prominence, Aegean Thrace remains among the least archaeologically explored areas of Greece—particularly its central zone. Trying to address this gap, the Molyvoti, Thrace, Archaeological Project (MTAP), launched in 2013, explored a coastal settlement in this region along with its hinterland from a diachronic perspective. The synergasia between the Rhodope Ephorate of Antiquities and the American School of Classical Studies at Athens concluded fieldwork in 2023.

In this talk, the expedition co-directors use the project as a window onto the transformation of the region over time, devoting attention to moments of rapid turning points, such as destruction, alongside periods of more gradual transition, such as changes in geomorphology. New evidence from classical domestic architecture, rural organization, and an extra murus Hellenistic sanctuary will be presented to offer fresh insights into the dynamics of a vital but understudied region.