Portara
Portara is one of the two gates of the northern part of the Byzantine walls.
Modern and Contemporary era (1912 - )
Ottoman era (1453- 1912)
Byzantine era (331 AC- 1453)
Most likely constructed in the 4th century AD.
Roman era (30 BC- 330 AC)
Hellenistic era (322- 31 BC)
Classical era (478-323 BC)
Archaic era (800-479 BC)
Geometric era (-1100- 800 BC)
Prehistory (-1100 BC)
What I can see
The “Portara” is one of the gates of the northern part of the Byzantine walls. It has an arched shape and connected, along with the other Portara gate, the acropolis with the city. At the city’s gates, the walls have more elaborate decorations, in order to give a striking first impression of the city. This is not the case here, probably because this gate was used mostly for military purposes.
What I can't see
Portara means “big gate”. This gate was particularly important because it was one of those that led to the acropolis, the city’s last refuge, in case of a siege or military attack.
Info
- Address: Eptapyrgiou & Akropoleos St.
Bibliography
Zafeiris Ch., (1997), Θεσσαλονίκης Εγκόλπιον, ιστορία, πολιτισμός, η πόλη σήμερα, γεύσεις, μουσεία, μνημεία, διαδρομές, [Thessaloniki Handbook, history, culture, the city today, flavours, museums, routes], Athens: Exantas
Kourkoutidou- Nikolaidou E., Tourta A., (1997), Περίπατοι στη Βυζαντινή Θεσσαλονίκη, [Walks in the Byzantine Thessaloniki], Athens: Kapon publications
Kourkoutidou- Nikolaidou E., Tourta A., (1997), Περίπατοι στη Βυζαντινή Θεσσαλονίκη, [Walks in the Byzantine Thessaloniki], Athens: Kapon publications
