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THE DISCOVERY OF ANCIENT GOLD MINING ON THASOS . GREECE
by
G. A. WAGNER*, E.PERNICKA* ,W.GENTNER*and M.VAVELIDIS**
*Max-Planck-Institut fur Kernphysik , HEIDELBERG , GERMANY **I.G.M.E Limenaria , THASOS , GREECE
Introduction
In his histories (book VI, 46 and 47) Herodotus mentions extensive gold mining on the Aegean island of Thasos . In connexion with the Persian invasion in Thrace and Macedonia at the beginning of the 5th century B.C. the historian writes about Thasos:" The island's revenue was derived partly from property on the mainland and partly from mines: the gold mines at Scapte Hyle yielded in all eighty talents a year, those in the island itself rather less, but a good sum all the same. . . .1 have seen these mines myself; much the most remarkable are those discoverd by the Phoenicians.... These Phoenician mines lie between Coenyra and a place called Aenyra, on
the south-eastern side of Thasos, facing Samothrace. A whole mountain has
2) been turned upside down in the search for gold."
Until very recently these gold mines could not be re-located - inspite of Herodotus' detailed topographic description. The name of "Coenyra" is preserved in the present hamlet of "Kinyra" on the eastern shore of Thasos (Figure 1). The name of "Aenyra" is not preserved. It probably marks a site around the modern village of Potamia. This assignment is based on an inscription which was excavated some years ago near the antique marble quarries of Aliki (Figure 1). Therefore, the most likely area where the ancient gold mines should be found is the mountain ridge of Klisidi between Kinyra and Potamia.
For the last 120 years archaeologists and geologists have repeatedly searched the Kinyra area inorder to trace these gold mines. Archaeologists have seen in this area ancient galleries and remains of antique buildings and pot-sherds . However, it is now virtually impossible to
