Dion Archaeological Park

Dion was the religious centre of the Macedonian kingdom, where kings sacrificed to Zeus before campaigns and held games in his honour, and it lies on a plain at the foot of Olympus fed by so many springs that parts of the excavation are permanently under shallow water, which gives the site its distinctive look: column bases and mosaic floors reflected in clear pools with the mountain behind. Highlights include the sanctuary of Isis, its statues standing in water where they were found, the sanctuary of Demeter, Hellenistic and Roman baths with fine mosaics, a theatre, and a long paved city road with drainage channels beneath. The site museum in the village holds the statues, the mosaic of Dionysos and a working hydraulis, a Hellenistic water organ found here.

History

Thucydides mentions Dion in 424 as the first city of Macedonia reached by the Spartan general Brasidas, and Pausanias names it among the places where Orpheus lived. In the Hellenistic period it became the religious centre of Macedonia, where Zeus was worshipped and Olympic games held in honour of Zeus and the Muses, and Alexander the Great sacrificed here before setting out against the Persians. The abandoned site, visited unknowingly by the French consul Félix de Beaujour at the end of the 18th century, was identified in December 1806 by William M. Leake near the village of Melathria, later renamed Dion, where he recognised the theatre, the stadium and the walls (Wikipedia, Archaeological Park of Dion).

The main sights

• The sanctuary of Isis - statues standing in shallow spring water.
• The paved road - the Roman street with its drainage system.
• The baths and mosaics - Roman thermal buildings with floor mosaics.
• The museum - sculpture, the Dionysos mosaic and the ancient water organ.

When to go

Spring and autumn; the park is green and the water levels are high, though paths can be muddy. Summer is hot on the open plain but the springs keep it cooler than most sites.

Practical notes

Parts of the site are genuinely waterlogged and boardwalks do not cover everything, so footwear matters. Mosquitoes are present near the water. The site is spread out, with a walk of over a kilometre to see it all.

Nearby

Mount Olympus rises directly above; Platamon castle and the Pieria coast lie south.

Key facts