Roman, Byzantine antiquities to be restored to original site at Thessaloniki metro

The antiquities detached from the ground during excavations for the Thessaloniki metro will be returned to the site of the ‘Venizelos’ stop level -1 in the spring of 2023, a Culture & Sports Ministry announcement said on Thursday.

The metro is part of the Metropolitan Railroad of Thessaloniki, and the return of antiquities was given the go-ahead by the Central Archaeological Council’s approval of the studies for protection, securing in place, restoring/conserving and showing of the Roman and Byzantine antiquities found at the premises of the station during the salvage excavations.

Following a final approval by the ministry, the re-placement of antiquities will start in April 2023, along with their conservation. The station itself will be ready by end-2023, the statement said.

Referring to the excavations for the metro in Thessaloniki, Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said “it was the largest urban excavation research ever carried out in Thessaloniki and in Greece, and it contributes to the refiltering and documentation of the city’s history, from its inception to the start of the 20th century.”

Mendoni added that the Venizelos metro station will contain “the largest archaeological site globally within the framework of a technical project. The works of the temporary detachment of antiquities provided the opportunity for remains of earlier historical periods to come to light that could not be studied in any other way and to such an extent.” In 2023, she asserted, Thessaloniki residents “will be able to proudly say they have an ultramodern metro, with museum stations that will highlight their city’s live link to its present and past.”