MYTHOLOGY
The god Dionysus was especially revered in the region of Thrace. However, Orpheus held a different belief, considering the Sun to be the greatest of all gods, whom he worshipped under the name Apollo. Every morning, before daylight broke, he climbed to the summit of Mount Pangaion, wishing to be the first to see the rising sun and greet it.
When Dionysus came to Thrace, the king of the Edonians, who lived near the Strymon River, was Lycurgus. Lycurgus insulted Dionysus and drove him away. Although Dionysus departed, the Bacchae (his female followers) and the Satyrs who accompanied him were captured and held prisoner.
The Bacchae eventually managed to free themselves. Seeking revenge, Dionysus drove Lycurgus mad. In his madness, Lycurgus took up an axe and beheaded his own son, mistaking him for a grapevine.
After this tragic event, Lycurgus recovered his sanity, but the land remained barren. Dionysus declared that the earth would bear fruit again only after Lycurgus was put to death. The Edonians then seized their king and, following Dionysus' command, led him up Mount Pangaion. There they tied him up, and wild horses trampled and kicked him until he died.
The god Dionysus was especially revered in the region of Thrace. However, Orpheus held a different belief, considering the Sun to be the greatest of all gods, whom he worshipped under the name Apollo. Every morning, before daylight broke, he climbed to the summit of Mount Pangaion, wishing to be the first to see the rising sun and greet it.
When Dionysus came to Thrace, the king of the Edonians, who lived near the Strymon River, was Lycurgus. Lycurgus insulted Dionysus and drove him away. Although Dionysus departed, the Bacchae (his female followers) and the Satyrs who accompanied him were captured and held prisoner.
The Bacchae eventually managed to free themselves. Seeking revenge, Dionysus drove Lycurgus mad. In his madness, Lycurgus took up an axe and beheaded his own son, mistaking him for a grapevine.
After this tragic event, Lycurgus recovered his sanity, but the land remained barren. Dionysus declared that the earth would bear fruit again only after Lycurgus was put to death. The Edonians then seized their king and, following Dionysus' command, led him up Mount Pangaion. There they tied him up, and wild horses trampled and kicked him until he died.
GOLD-BEARING MOUNT PANGAION
The legendary, gold-rich Mount Pangaion rises majestically beneath the endless blue sky like an emperor untouched by the passing centuries. Standing proudly among the mountains of Lekani, Falakro, Menikio, Kerdylia, and Symvolo, overlooking the sea, it is a place of grandeur, beauty, mystery, and awe.
Its peaks vary in shape: some are rounded, such as Pilaf Tepe, reaching approximately 1,870 meters (6,135 feet), while others, like Koznitsa, the highest summit at 1,956 meters (6,417 feet), rise sharply above the surrounding landscape. Their dramatic forms have fascinated people since ancient times.
Its forested slopes and ravines, covered with beech, oak, fir, towering plane trees, and chestnut forests, together with its rich deposits of gold and silver and its strategic importance, attracted gods, demigods, heroes, kings, generals, and countless settlers. Since time immemorial, people built picturesque settlements around the mountain, their homes standing side by side as if in an everlasting dance of gratitude to the mountain that protected and sustained them.
The legendary, gold-rich Mount Pangaion rises majestically beneath the endless blue sky like an emperor untouched by the passing centuries. Standing proudly among the mountains of Lekani, Falakro, Menikio, Kerdylia, and Symvolo, overlooking the sea, it is a place of grandeur, beauty, mystery, and awe.
Its peaks vary in shape: some are rounded, such as Pilaf Tepe, reaching approximately 1,870 meters (6,135 feet), while others, like Koznitsa, the highest summit at 1,956 meters (6,417 feet), rise sharply above the surrounding landscape. Their dramatic forms have fascinated people since ancient times.
Its forested slopes and ravines, covered with beech, oak, fir, towering plane trees, and chestnut forests, together with its rich deposits of gold and silver and its strategic importance, attracted gods, demigods, heroes, kings, generals, and countless settlers. Since time immemorial, people built picturesque settlements around the mountain, their homes standing side by side as if in an everlasting dance of gratitude to the mountain that protected and sustained them.
THE ANTIENT INHABITANTS OF MOUNT PANGAION
The Derriopes are believed to have been the earliest inhabitants of the region, dating back to the Stone Age. Their main occupations were fishing in the Green Lake (the marshes of Philippi) and hunting wild animals.
Some of these people lived in wooden houses built on large stilts driven into the muddy lakebed.
Other known inhabitants included:
All these peoples of the Mount Pangaion region were of Thracian origin—pre-Hellenic inhabitants who dominated the area from around 1800 BC.
Around 1500 BC, the Pelasgians appeared, followed by the Phoenicians around 1400 BC. It was during this period that King Cadmus discovered the gold of Mount Pangaion and became the first to exploit its rich mineral deposits.
Later, the people of Thasos established colonies throughout the region. By organizing gold mining on a larger scale, they became renowned master goldsmiths and amassed enormous wealth.
Around 700 BC, the poet Archilochus of Paros led an expedition with an army to seize the gold mines. However, he suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the warlike Saii, narrowly escaping death himself.
The Derriopes are believed to have been the earliest inhabitants of the region, dating back to the Stone Age. Their main occupations were fishing in the Green Lake (the marshes of Philippi) and hunting wild animals.
Some of these people lived in wooden houses built on large stilts driven into the muddy lakebed.
Other known inhabitants included:
- The Dobetes, who lived in the region of Proti and Rodolivos, another important and historic area of Mount Pangaion.
- The Paeonians.
- The warlike Agrianes.
- The Edonians, who occupied the area around Amphipolis.
- The Pierians, who lived between Mount Symvolo and Mount Pangaion.
- The Saii, who inhabited the region of Nikissiani and Palaiochori and exploited the mountain's gold deposits.
- Farther east lived the Prassians, in the area of Pravi (modern Eleftheroupoli).
- To the northeast lived the Odomantes.
All these peoples of the Mount Pangaion region were of Thracian origin—pre-Hellenic inhabitants who dominated the area from around 1800 BC.
Around 1500 BC, the Pelasgians appeared, followed by the Phoenicians around 1400 BC. It was during this period that King Cadmus discovered the gold of Mount Pangaion and became the first to exploit its rich mineral deposits.
Later, the people of Thasos established colonies throughout the region. By organizing gold mining on a larger scale, they became renowned master goldsmiths and amassed enormous wealth.
Around 700 BC, the poet Archilochus of Paros led an expedition with an army to seize the gold mines. However, he suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the warlike Saii, narrowly escaping death himself.