Arnea, Aristotelis, Chalkidiki,Central Macedonia
Castle of Profitis Elias of Arnea
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(March 2019)
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the hill from Arnea (March 2019)
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the hill from Arnea (March 2019)
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SE wall + ruined buildings (March 2019)
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SW wall (March 2019)
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west wall (March 2019)
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NW wall (March 2019)
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NW wall (March 2019)
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NW wall (March 2019)
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NW wall (March 2019)
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ruined building at the center
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East wall (March 2019)
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South wall + gate -right
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South wall - outside (March 2019)
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South wall - outside (March 2019)
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South wall - outside (March 2019)
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(March 2019)
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(March 2019)
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SE side of the wall (March 2019)
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(March 2019)
THE END
| Location: |
| On the hill of Profitis Elias 3km north of Arnea in Chalkidiki |
| Region > Prefecture: |  |
| Central Macedonia Chalkidiki | |
| Municipality > Town: | |
| City of Aristotelis • Arnea | |
| Altitude: | |
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Elevation ≈ 652 m (Relative Height≈50 m) |
| Time of Construction | Origin | |
| perhaps 10th cent. | BYZANTINE  |
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| Castle Type | Condition | |
| Castle Ruins |
In Ruins
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A fortified enclosure on the hill of Profitis Elias outside of the town Arnaia of Chalkidiki.
History
It is possible that here was the location of the ancient city Arnai which is mentioned by Thucydides. According to another hypothesis, here was the acropolis of the ancient city Avgai. None of these theories have been verified so far.
However, the place was inhabited since 1500 BC and flourished in two periods: Once in the 5th to 4th cent, BC and then, some centuries later, in the Roman period. The Roman city was destroyed around the middle of the 6th century, during a period of barbaric raids.
Sometime in the middle Byzantine period, the place was populated again. This must have happened after the 9th or 10th century, when the mining activity in Chalkidiki (producing silver and lead) was revived.
The traces of the fortification we see today are from that middle Byzantine period.
Structure, Fortification & Buildings
The perimeter of the fortification wall is 185 enclosing an area of 2200 sq.m. The wall is preserved along the entire perimeter but at low height. It was mostly covered before the excavation works that took place in 2003.
The maximum height today is 2m. The intial height did not exceed 5m. In the interior there are ruins of the foundations of some buildings. There is a narrow gate at the southern side.
| First entry in Kastrologos: | May 2019 |
Sources
- Website ΑΕΤΟΣ ΧΑΛΚΙΔΙΚΗΣ - Η ιστορία της Αρναίας μέσα από δύο ταινίες
- Website Δήμου Αριστοτέλη - Προφήτης Ηλίας Αρναίας
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| Access |
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| Entrance: |
| Free access |
