The excavation of ancient Argilos, an important commercial center in the Archaic and Classical periods, reveals a little-known side of colonization by people from Andros in the northern Aegean.

The remains of buildings in the ancient city may not be as striking as other finds from Macedonia, but they are a part of a larger complex of great significance illuminated by recent excavation.

Hundreds of artifacts, including large ones such as island-style houses and a two-story mansion on the acropolis, are included in the site of the Andros colony that flourished 2,650 years ago at the mouth of the Strymonas River.

The finds give insight on the Thracians’ approach to life as well as the organization of a Greek colony set up to exploit the rich mineral resources of the Thracian hinterland in the mid-seventh century BC.

Archaeologist Zisis Bonias of the 18th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, in collaboration with the University of Montreal and under the aegis of the Canadian Archaeological Institute, has added another important find to the long list from the area.

It is a metal oven dating from the sixth century BC, possibly the oldest found in northern Greece, which confirms that mining activity was carried out in the colonies founded by people from Andros.