This dissertation was written as part of the MA in the Classical Archaeology and the
Ancient History of Macedonia at the International Hellenic University. Its aim is the
examination of Ancient Orestis, located in Upper Macedonia. The archaeological survey and
the historical topography of this area will be oriented chronologically from the Early Iron
Age up to the Late Antiquity, that is approximately the 4th c. AD. After a brief statement
about my personal interest in Orestis and the reasons why I selected this topic, an
introduction will take place focusing on the historical background, providing the timeline of
historical events occurring in the area, while comparing it with the rest of the Macedonian
kingdom. The first chapter will be dwelling on the Orestes, the myth that interprets their
naming and their ethnic identity. The following chapters will be dealing with each city and
site, and will be examined separately, following a chronological order while emphasizing on
the literary, architectural, archaeological, and epigraphical evidence. The last chapter is
related with a modern issue, the exhibition of the excavated material to the public. The
word is about the Archaeological Museum of Argos Orestikon that hosts findings from the
central part of Ancient Orestis and the establishment of Ancient Diocletianoupolis. The main
sources used for such archaeological and historical survey will be the scientific publications
of the Archaeological Bulletins, as well as the proceedings of the Archaeological Excavations
in Macedonia and Thrace (AEMTh), combined with numerous other bibliographical
references, including several monographs, articles in journals and collective volumes. It is
true that the archaeological work done in Ancient Orestis is not yet well documented and
the areas of interest not fully excavated, however the intention of this essay is the synthesis
of the already published material in different sources, enriched with a modern point of view
and some proposals for the future research.
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