Fourth-century fountain to return to public view

An enormous public fountain from late antiquity – one of the most impressive finds during excavations in 2018 for the construction of the Thessaloniki metro – will form the centerpiece of a new archaeological site in the heart of the northern port city, according to reports.

Details about the fountain, dated to the second half of the 4th century, will be presented Friday by researchers at the 32nd annual conference in Thessaloniki on archaeological work in Macedonia and Thrace.

The 15-meter-long, 2.85-meter-high fountain was detached during excavations and will return to grace the east side of an early Byzantine square at Aghia Sophia metro station. It will form part of a new archaeological area including Byzantine-era shops and workshops.

It was located northwest of the Aghia Sophia station at the intersection of two ancient roads – the stone-paved Decumanus Maximus and the Cardo.