The History of Halkidiki

Greek mythology often refers to Halkidiki. The earthquake giant, Egelados and according to legend he is buried on the peninsula of Kassandra, he was buried alive after a battle with the gods, and it is believed the earthquakes that occur in the region are due to Egelados trying to get free. A gigantic rock thrown at the gods by Egelados missed them and landed in the sea to form the peninsula of Mt. Athos. The peninsula of Sithonia owes its name to Sithonas, son of Poseidon. Fossils of prehistoric elephants and other species have been unearthed in the region. Excavations in the Petralona Cave have shown that the human presence began 700,000 years ago, while the scull of a man, found in the caves dates from about 200,000 years ago.

In the 8th century BC, people settled in the region. In the 5th century BC many settlements grew in size and importance, among them were the settlements of, Arnea, Potidaea, Olynthos and Toroni. By the end of the 5th century BC, the most important of these settlements were under the protection of the kingdom of Olynthos, which was dissolved by the Spartans in 379 BC. In 348 BC, Philip integrates the region into the Macedonian Kingdom. In the Hellenistic years, three great cities arose, Kassandreia, Ouranoupolis and Antigoneia. In 168 BC, the Romans take control of the Macedonian Kingdom and its decline began as all the cities came under the control of the Roman merchants.

Christianity came to the region in about 50 AD, During the Christian centuries Halkidiki experienced many invasions by foreign powers, the Goths, the Huns and the Catalans all were eager to take control of the region. During the 9th century, the monastic state of Mount Athos was established. After the 10th century, the biggest part of the cultivated land came to the property of Mount Athos Monks. From these settlements, many villages were established and developed along with the old ones. In the middle of the 14th century, a large part of Halkidiki was under the control of the Serbian state, while Kassandra, before its enslavement to the Turks, was under the Venice domination.

In 1430, Halkidiki came under the control of the during that time the inhabitants of Halkidiki suffered a great deal as all the Greeks did due to the repressive Turkish domination. However, they did not lose either their faith or their national conscience. By the end of the 18th century, all the prefectures begin to develop, agricultural growth increased with the production of wheat, the silk industry and the breeding of cattle. The mining of silver added to the prosperity of the region, however, this wealth attracted the pirates who raided the coastal villages and ships carrying precious cargo. In the 19 th century, the inhabitants revolted many times against the oppressive Turkish regime. Freedom for the region came in 1912, and by 1922 thousands of Greek refugees from Asia Minor came to the region and many new villages were established, and contributed to the development of the region.