History of Pieria (regional unit)

This is a reflection of the main historical events in Pieria (Πιερία), Central Macedonia.
Location.
Pieria is the southernmost regional unit of the Central Macedonia region, with the capital Katerini; Pieria is bordered to the south by Thessaly.
History.
Neolithic period, ca. 6500 to 3000 BC.
In the 7th millennium BC, the area around Mount Olympus and the Pieria Mountains was settled, possibly from the east. The environment offered the settlers good living conditions, such as a mild climate, water, fertile farmland and hunting grounds. Finds from this period come from the area of Korinos, Ritini, Pigi Athinas and Makrygialos. Remains of settlements have been scarcely excavated, but found graves with various grave goods: stone and earthen figures, clay vessels, tools made of bone and stone, flint arrowheads and pieces of jewellery, which were made of bone or clay.
Bronze Age, ca. 3000 to 1000 BC.
Settlement patterns shifted from the mountains towards the sea. Metalworking, shipping and trade brought prosperity to the region. The archaeological finds from this era are, inter alia, from Platamonas (the ancient Heraklion), Aiginio, Ancient Methone, Ancient Pydna, Pigi Artemidos, Trimbina, Kitros (Louloudies) and Korinos.
In addition to individual tombs, necropolises and settlements were discovered. The finds from this period include clay pottery and in the earth embedded earthen storage vessels, also metal tools and weapons, and jewelry made of gold, silver, bronze and glass.
Mycenaean period.
The end of the Bronze Age is referred to as Mycenaean period in southern Greece and Crete, as these areas were under the cultural influence of Mycenae. During this time not only Mycenaean goods were traded in the Mediterranean, but also adopted Mycenaean culture and customs. Mycenaean graves and earthenware have survived from this period, the latter being very helpful in dating archeological findings. The northern limit of the spread of the Mycenaean culture is in Pieria, further north, no signs have been discovered.
Iron Age, ca. 1000 to 700 BC.
The coastal population grew, with some Bronze Age settlements seemingly abandoned. Pieria was more populated by places that offered natural protection (e.g. Sfendani, Kouko or Livadi), existing settlements were fortified (the ancient Methone with a three-meter-high wall). Trade relations were expanded and the Phoenician alphabet introduced and modified for the Greek language.
Finds from this period are in addition to jewelry, pottery, weapons and tools also remains of wooden grave borders.
Roman period, ca. 146 BC to 330 AD.
The archaeological finds from the over 1000-year period from the end of the Iron Age to the end of the Roman rule over Pieria are very extensive. Dion is the leading archaeological site here, the ownership issues are clarified there, the archaeologists can work freely in a large area. Elsewhere, such as in Methone, land under which antiquities are suspected is privately owned. Methone benefited from several years of collaboration with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA); this gave valuable insights into the beginnings of the Greek alphabet. In Leivithra and Pydna, which could easily be excavated, the Greek state is currently lacking funds (May 2018).
The finds are either displayed in museums or they are stored. Fully equipped is the archaeological museum at Dion, at the Leivithra Park only replicas are exhibited, the recent finds from Leivithra are stored at the Archaeological museum of Dion. In the archaeological museum of Makrygialos smaller artefacts and earthen vessels are exhibited; the museum is not yet open to the public (as of May 2018).
Coins, jewelry, earthen and glass vessels, weapons, tools, building materials, sarcophagi, grave steles, statues, statuettes, well enclosures, mosaics, a water organ and many other pieces were discovered.
Byzantine period, ca. 330 to 1453 AD.
Important archaeological sites of the Byzantine period are the castle of Platamon, Louloudies and the castle of Pydna, built by Frankish knights over the ruins of the ancient city. From Byzantine times come the inhabited monasteries Kanalon and Agia Triada, Sparmos. Furthermore, there are numerous churches of this period, such as the Holy Trinity (Agia Triada), located above Vrondou, and the Church of the Assumption at Kontariotissa.
Significant archaeological finds from this period are mainly of ecclesiastical origin. They are exhibited in the archaeological museum of Dion or in the museums of the monasteries.