Demetrias, Archaeological site in Volos Municipality, Greece

Demetrias is an ancient city at Aivaliotika, about 3 km south of Volos, near the head of the Pagasaean Gulf. Its ruins include about 11 km of walls, an acropolis on the northwest height, a theater with a Heroon above it, an aqueduct, the sacred agora, and the Anaktoron, a royal palace on a hill east of the city. In the photograph, low courses of rectangular stone blocks in light gray, beige and pale blue-gray stand among brown earth, low vegetation and loose stones, with trees behind.

Demetrios Poliorketes founded Demetrias in 294 BCE by merging several smaller settlements into one administrative center under Macedonian rule. The new city quickly became a major port and trading hub that served as a naval base for regional power.

Demetrias was founded in 294 BC by Demetrius Poliorcetes, who moved the inhabitants of eight neighbouring settlements, including Iolcos and Pagasae, into the new city. Two early Christian basilicas are known: the Basilica of Damokratia at the northern harbour and the Cemetery Basilica outside the walls. The city became a Christian episcopal see under Constantine the Great and remains a titular see of the Catholic Church.

Demetrias lies at Aivaliotika, about 3 km south of Volos, and can be reached by local transport from the city. The excavated area is open ground with no marked trails; wear sturdy shoes and carry water and sun protection, as there is little shade.

The walls once ran about 11 km, and the acropolis stood at the highest point in the northwest. The Anaktoron, the royal palace, occupied a hilltop east of the city until the mid-2nd century BC; the Romans later used it as a cemetery.