Ancient Mende experienced a great economic boom due to the exportation of the famous Mendaean wine, and was one of the colonies founded by Eretria on the Pallini peninsula in the 8th century BC.
The main archaeological site, 1200 x 600 m in size, is located on the flat plateau and the slopes of a pine-covered hill which smoothly ends at the sea. On the acropolis, or Vigla, which extends to the highest, southeastern point of the hill, underground storage areas were excavated, full of pottery (clusters of storage pits) from the 12th to the 7th century BC were uncovered.
On the plateau, also known as Xefoto, a test cut revealed part of the wall of the city. In the suburb area, as mentioned by Thucydides, which occupies the coastal area outside the walls of the ancient city, successive phases of habitation were investigated, that dated from the 9th to the 4th century BC.
In the coastal cemetery, located on the beach of the “Mende” hotel, a total of 241 graves, mainly of infants and small children, were found in large vessels, dating from the end of the 8th to the beginning of the 6th century BC. The vases were mainly written, with plant and geometric decoration, or even engraved, and are characteristic examples of the ceramic style of Halkidiki. The sanctuary of the ancient city was finally located on the sandy, flat promontory “Poseidi”, 4 km. west of Mende.
Among the buildings that have been excavated is the temple of Poseidon from the early 5th century BC, the identification of which is due to a series of engraved inscriptions on vases. The results of the excavation research till today in ancient Mende are considered particularly important, as they proved that a permanent settlement, with strong Euboic influences, was founded there as early as the end of the 12th – beginning of the 11th century BC.
Congratulation!