Aliki

Aliki (in Greek Αλυκή ) is a peninsula on the southern part of Thasos where are principal the career S of Marbre of the island exploited during the Antiquité, and given up thereafter. The toponym, which means “saltworks literally”, gives an account of covering by the sea of the careers given up after the 7th century, and of their assimilation to saltworks at the time modern. The ancient name of the site is not known, although it associated with this activity of exploitation marble a small sanctuary with the traditional time and a double Basilique with the time paléochrétienne.

Principal ancient careers of Thasos

There exist three groups of careers on the island of Thasos, the Acropolis of the quoted thasienne, in Liménas, the course Vathy more in the south, and Saliaria, and finally, most important in Aliki. Part of these careers were destroyed by the modern exploitation, which took again in an intensive way in the last decades of the 20th century. These marbles have some differences, that of Aliki being characterized by a rather coarse grain and a color varying of the white to the clear gray, with sometimes of the bluish veins which make it confuse with the marble of Proconnèse. These characteristics are at the origin of its great diffusion in the sectors where the decorative effects of these veins were appreciated, namely for the pavements, platings, and the columns.

Marble of Thasos famous material

Many literary testimonys in general confirm this passion for the marble of Thasos, and Aliki in particular. Sénèque writes thus in one of its Lettres in Lucilius (86, 6):

“One regards oneself as poor if the marble of Thasos, formerly a rare curiosity in some temple, revêt our swimming pools (...). ”

Employed in architecture, and mentioned for this reason by Vitruve (X, 2,15), it is also snuffed for the sculpture: the sarcophagus of Néron includes/understands a marble thasien balustrade, material also used for the tomb of the brother of Caton to Ainos in Thrace. One still finds it for example in the statuary in Athens. It belongs to the materials of which the Edict of the Maximum fixes the price under Dioclétien, and one finds it on many sites in late Antiquity, in particular in Thrace and Macedonia.

Careers

The headland of Aliki is a marble spur probably exploited at the beginning of the occupation of the island, at seventh century BC the exploitation of the marble so intensive and was prolonged there in time that all the southern end of the peninsula is levelled up to the sea level, while the western and south-western sides of the hill are largely started. Progressively of the exploitation, the quarry faces thus progressed towards north and is, while spoil was rejected towards the top.

The ancient careers are presented in the form of a juxtaposition of various building sites having each one its walls, its cuts and a loader gate of the blocks. It is more difficult to circumscribe the operating area of the tailors who trim the blocks after their extraction: the unfinished blocks which were found on the site are not inevitably localized on operating areas, because they could be abandoned as of the extraction or during the evacuation.

The level of exploitation of the careers of the edge of the sea was to be rather close to that of water so that one equips them with low walls made up of rocks left in place and being used so to speak as mole.

One distinguishes three periods from opening of the careers, of which the best known ones are latest, dating from the Roman period and Roman late, while oldest were destroyed or buried by this posterior exploitation. In the latest careers, the presence of graffiti Christians (incised crosses) provides an index of reliable dating general although vague.

The release of the blocks of marble is done by means of corners out of metal or wooden resting on the principle of the bursting of the rock. The carriers also cause this bursting while boring with the point of the peak of the series of holes on the line of desired fracture. The examination of the cavities shows that the carriers knew to use the specific character of the rock of Aliki: frequent the Diaclase S which crosses the marbles is indeed used to delimit the building sites of which they form the low walls of separation. These diaclases determine also the specialization of the careers: their frequency and their direction support the extraction of columns or blocks. The slope of the walls was also used so as to facilitate the release: the rock is attacked side where the blocks are of their weight, and are detached thus more easily. Finally the stratification of the marble plays also a part in the specialization of the careers: the nature of the rock in a given building site determines the thickness of the blocks which are extracted from it, and the type of block which is thus privileged.

Once cut out, the block of marble can be trimmed even coarsely carved before being exported. The local production includes/understands barrels of columns, capital X, tanks of Sarcophage S, but also of the blocks which are not output on the spot, not intended to provide plates of wall lining or pavement.

The topography of the careers, all located on the circumference of the peninsula, makes possible only one form of transport, by sea: the ships accost directly with the foot of the careers, in sufficiently roomy boarding areas to allow the installation of the machinery (cranes) necessary to the displacement of the blocks. Many holes, slides or rings of mooring are still visible, and make it possible to reconstitute these installations (see the points of loading on the plan opposite).

The end of the ancient exploitation of the careers intervenes according to any probability during the 7th century and corresponds to the military, economic and demographic crisis which strikes the Byzantine Empire at this period. It is followed covering by the sea, whose level goes back to one unspecified time, of the lowest careers and the landing stages.

The sanctuary of Apollo

The workmen of the careers probably resided in a small agglomeration which was to occupy the isthmus of the peninsula. Nothing is visible, with share a large Roman sarcophagus: this zone of the site forever been the subject of archaeological excavations. But in the North-East of this village, a small sanctuary is whose establishment goes back to the colonization of the island by the Pariens at the beginning of the seventh century BC, and who was, partly released to him (see chart n° 1). It could be a question of the civic sanctuary of Apollon Archégète, divinity guardian of the colonization of the island by Pariens, in which case, he could even mark the place of their original unloading.

The part of the visible complex is appeared as two buildings of similar plan, arranged on a terrace in edge of north-eastern bay: of almost square plan, each building includes/understands a porch with colonnade, behind whose two parts are, of which one comprises a ritual hearth ( will eschara ). It is not a question of Temple S, but of rooms intended to accommodate the faithful ones for the banquets which followed the sacrifices.

The northern building (16 X 16,50 m) is oldest: in its first state, to Ionic order, it goes back from the last quarter of sixth century BC, while the second state, to doric colonnade date of the years 470 - 465 av. J. - C. This building came to replace a construction older evil known but dated from the end of the 7th front century J. - C.

The southern building, smaller (11,60 X 13 m), is the oldest doric building of Thasos and date of approximately 500 av. J. - C.

Many a inscriptions was discovered in the vestiges of the sanctuary, which make it possible to specify the function of it. One indeed finds there many wishes of good navigation ( euploia ) left by the ship-owners or the sailors for the ships come to take delivery of the marble in the close careers. These ships bear the names of divinities ( Héraclès - to see photography opposite - Sarapis , Poséidon , Artémis or Asclépios ) and their home ports provide useful indications on the structure of the trade of the marble: Thessalonique, Assos, Mytilène, the Troade. One of these votive inscriptions is addressed to the “Gods savers”, i.e. with the Dioscures, protective divinities of the sailors.

On the slopes overhanging the sanctuary, in south-east, in addition two pertaining to worship caves are, of which one is identified by an inscription as being dedicated to Apollon. One of the two caves is located in the vicinity immediate of the south-eastern angle of the two released buildings, while the second, major (more 20 m) is in the north of the basilica paléochrétienne. It is it which provided the most material (Ex-voto, ceramics and figurines), dated essentially from the antiquated period, but extending until the Roman epoch.

The double basilica

The abandonment of the pagan pertaining to worship unit probably intervenes at the 3rd century. He succeed, with little distance to south-east, at the top of the hill, a Christian complex made up of two coupled churches of basilical plan, forming a Basilique doubles (see chart n° 2), according to a rather frequent device at the time paléochrétienne.

The southern basilica is oldest and goes back to the first quarter of the 5th century: it is a basilica with three naves, equipped with a semicircular apse. The sanctuary is closed by a Chancel in pi with the solea opening on the central nave, where the presence of the Ambon, with two faced right staircases, confirms the preeminence of this basilica as a whole. The colonnades separating the naves were of Ionic order. They supported a gallery, where, in a second state of the building, to seat the women took, via a staircase located on the southern part of the Narthex, built in this same phase.

The northern basilica replaced older vault which was undoubtedly contemporary southern church. It dates from the years 500. It is still a basilica with three naves, of installation comparable with the southern basilica, but which has moreover, in the west, a liturgical Atrium, and two appendices including one Baptistère equipped with a circular tank.

The unit was renovated and increased under the reign of Justinien, and was given up, at the same time as the careers and the agglomeration of which it was used as building of worship, at the 7th century.

Archaeological exploration

The first observations on the sanctuary of Aliki are the fact of G. Perrot, in 1856: it publishes them in its Mémoire of the island of Thasos , in 1864. A. Conze is interested for its part in the careers two years later, in 1858. The first excavations are carried out by Th. Bent in 1886 - 1887 which releases part of the sanctuary and collection the inscriptions. It is then a series of missions of the French École of Athens which are devoted to the methodical exploration of the peninsula. A. Laumonier and Y. Béquignon take again first once the excavation of the sanctuary in 1924, before J. Were useful and P. Bernard in the long term do not lead it 1961 to 1964. Starting from 1970, J. - P. Sodini undertakes the study of the double basilica and the systematic statement of the marble careers, with the assistance of the T. architect; Koželj.

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