Archaelogical Site of Alyki

The peninsula of Alyki is located on the southeastern side of Thassos, 32km from the port. On both sides of the peninsula, there are formed two natural creeks that were used as ports from ancient times. At the edge and across the Southeast side of the peninsula lies the ancient marble quarry which operated throughout antiquity until the Byzantine period. The ongoing activity had as a result a big part of the peninsula to be incurved almost to the sea and when the sea level goes down, the salt remains on the walls. Those natural salt marshes gave their name to the Salt Lake area, a name that is certified by the late Byzantine season. Traces of human occupation on the peninsula already were traced back to the 7th century BC in cave sanctuary in the eastern creek, where it is believed two ancient churches dedicated to currently unknown deity , the ruins of which lie on the beach of the eastern creek. Moreover, archaeological interest present the ruins of two early Christian basilicas which dating from the 5th and 6th century AD the fifth century A.D.. The quarries were abandoned sharply, because of the Slavic invasions. Today the Alyki area has been declared as an archaeological site and a landscape of natural beauty and archaeological interest.