Olynthus
Ὀλυνθος | |
Bouleuterion of ancient Olynthus | |
| Location | Olynthus, Central Macedonia, Greece |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°17′46″N 23°21′14″E / 40.296°N 23.354°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| Part of | Chalcidian League |
| Length | 1500 |
| Width | 400 |
| Area | 60 ha (150 acres) |
| History | |
| Founded | 7th century BC |
| Abandoned | 318 BC |
| Site notes | |
| Archaeologists | David Moore Robinson, Mary Ross Ellingson |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Ownership | Public |
| Management | 16th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities |
| Public access | Yes |
| Website | Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism |
Olynthus (Ancient Greek: Ὄλυνθος Olynthos) is an ancient city in present-day Chalcidice, Greece. It was built mostly on two flat-topped hills 30–40m in height, in a fertile plain at the head of the Gulf of Torone, near the neck of the peninsula of Pallene, about 2.5 kilometers from the sea, and about 60 stadia (c. 9–10 kilometers) from Poteidaea.
Olynthus served as head of the Chalcidian League from its inception just before the Peloponnesian War to the time the city was destroyed in the Social War. The city flourished between 432 BCE and its destruction by Philip II of Macedon in 348 BCE. It was finally abandoned in 316 BCE. Excavations were conducted across four seasons, spanning from 1928 to 1938. Artefacts found during the excavations of the site are exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Olynthos.In the modern day the city is famous for it's well preserved household and urban architecture. pg.viii
The city was named for Olynthus, the son of Heracles or of Strymon, the mythological founder of the town.