Olive trees, Ancient history and Cool Beaches, this is the Thassos island travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises spa and resorts

Thassos is a green greek island in the Aegean Sea and it is farfamed for its clean beaches, its hospitality, its tasty vine and the magnificent honey. The history of Thassos is lasting back into the antiquity. At that time, Thassos was famous for its goldmines and marble. Until today, you can see much archaeological treasures, which will make your journey to something special. Also the giant marble factories, which are exporting the marble in the whole world, will amaze you.

History of Thassos:

The island was colonized at an early date by Phoenicians, attracted probably by its gold mines; they founded a temple to the god Melqart, whom the Greeks identified as “Tyrian Heracles”, and whose cult was merged with Heracles in the course of the island’s Hellenization; the temple still existed in the time of Herodotus. An eponymous Thasos, son of Phoenix— or of Agenor, as Pausanias reported— is said to have been the leader of the Phoenicians, and to have given his name to the island.

In 720 708 BC, Thasos received a Greek colony from Paros. It was in a war which the Parian colonists waged with the Saians, a Thracian tribe, that the poet Archilochus threw away his shield. The Greeks extended their power to the mainland, where they owned gold mines which were even more valuable than those on the island. From these sources the Thasians drew great wealth, their annual revenues amounting to 200 or even 300 talents. Herodotus, who visited Thasos, says that the best mines on the island were those which had been opened by the Phoenicians on the east side of the island facing Samothrace.

The place was important during the Ionian Revolt against Persia. After the capture of Miletus (494 BC) Histiaeus, the Ionian leader, laid siege to Thasos. The attack failed, but, warned by the danger, the Thasians employed their revenues to build war ships and strengthen their fortifications. This excited the suspicions of the Persians, and Darius compelled them to surrender their ships and pull down their walls. After the defeat of Xerxes the Thasians joined the Delian confederacy; but afterwards, on account of a difference about the mines and marts on the mainland, they revolted.

The Athenians defeated them by sea, and, after a siege that lasted more than two years, took the capital, Thasos, probably in 463 BC, and compelled the Thasians to destroy their walls, surrender their ships, pay an indemnity and an annual contribution (in 449 BC this was 21 talents, from 445 BC about 30 talents), and resign their possessions on the mainland. In 411 BC, at the time of the oligarchical revolution at Athens, Thasos again revolted from Athens and received a Lacedaemonian governor; but in 407 BC the partisans of Lacedaemon were expelled, and the Athenians under Thrasybulus were admitted.

After the Battle of Aegospotami (405 BC), Thasos again fell into the hands of the Lacedaemonians under Lysander who formed a decarchy there; but the Athenians must have recovered it, for it formed one of the subjects of dispute between them and Philip II of Macedonia. In the embroilment between Philip III of Macedonia and the Romans, Thasos submitted to Philip, but received its freedom at the hands of the Romans after the battle of Cynoscephalae (197 BC), and it was still a “free” state in the time of Pliny.

After a period of Latin occupation, it was captured by the Turks in 1462; it was given by the Sultan Mahmud II to Mehemet Ali of Egypt. In 1914 during the Balkan Wars, Thasos became part of Greece. Thasos, the capital, stood on the north side of the island, and had two harbours, one of which was closed. Archilochus described Thasos as “an ass’s backbone crowned with wild wood,” and the description still suits the mountainous island with its forests of fir. The highest mountain, Ipsario or Ypsario, is 1045 m (3428 ft) high. Besides its gold mines, the wine, nuts and marble of Thasos were well known in antiquity. Thasian wine (a light bodied wine with a characteristic apple scent) was, in particular, quite famous; to the point where all Thasian coins carried the head of the wine god on one side and bunches of grape of the other.

Today, Thasos is a part of the Kavala prefecture and is the southernmost and the easternmost points in the prefecture. Thasos serves ferry routes to and from Kavala and a port at the eastern portion of the prefecture.

Thassos is very nice place if you like quiet and private beaches among the big rocks. There are maybe dozen of this kind of beaches along the island ( you can view some pictures taken by me below ).

Quite interesting place to visit is the ancient monastery built on one rock just above the sea. This monastery is dedicated to the Archangel Michel and is located on the road between Astris and Alyki, on a cliff. It is worth-seeing for its breathtaking location and for the construction itself. Unfortunately the local people has banned the photographing inside the monastery but i managed to get some shoots for you. Below are some very cool ancient sabres ( more than 50 indeed ) all different shape, size and time of creation, exhibited in the monastery. And not in last place Thassos is well known after its olive production. It seems that the olives are almost everywhere, except rocks and very steep slopes. Some trees are obviously very old. The three you can see below i more than 500 years old.