Maroneia

Maroneia was famous in antiquity for its wine, and Homer has Odysseus receive from its priest the strong dark wine that later put the Cyclops to sleep. The ancient city spreads over the slopes of Mount Ismaros down to the sea, with a wall circuit running for kilometres, a small theatre restored and used for summer performances, a sanctuary, a Roman house with mosaics, and an early Christian basilica. Near the coast is the cave of the Cyclops, a large sea-facing cavern that local tradition links to the Homeric episode. Below, the small port of Agios Charalambos has fish tavernas, and the surrounding hills are again planted with vineyards, reviving the wine reputation that made the city rich.

History

Legend credits the founding to Maron, a son of Dionysus, while Pseudo-Scymnus says Chios founded it in 540 BCE, and some scholars identify it with Homer's Ismaros, where Odysseus spared Maron, priest of Apollo, who gave him the wine later used against the Cyclops. In Greek and Roman times Maroneia was famous for its wine, said to smell of nectar and to bear mixing with twenty or more times its quantity of water, and its people venerated Dionysus. In 200 BCE Philip V of Macedon took the city, and when Rome ordered him out of Thrace he killed many of its inhabitants; Rome granted it to Attalus of Pergamon but soon revoked the gift (Wikipedia, Maroneia).

What's there

• The theatre - a restored ancient theatre used for summer events.
• The city walls - long stretches climbing the hillside above the sea.
• The Cyclops cave - a large coastal cavern tied to the Homeric story.
• The mosaic house - a Roman residence with surviving floors.

When to go

Spring and autumn for walking the hillside; summer is hot but the coast below offers swimming. Enclosed parts of the site keep limited hours, so allow flexibility.

Things to know

The remains are scattered over a large area with rough tracks between them, and a car is essential. Several monuments are fenced. The cave requires a short walk and is unlit and unmanaged.

Nearby

Komotini and its museum lie north; the Thracian coast and Porto Lagos stretch west.