Archaeological Sites

Ancient Sane in Acte is located in the region of Nea Roda, near the port of Trypiti. The city was founded in the middle of the 7th century BC from Ionian colonists of Andros, as were Acanthus, Stagira and Argilus. During the Persian Wars, the city was not only forced to acknowledge Persian suzerainty but was also forced into conscription by joining the Persian army and fighting against Greek cities. After the Persian wars, Sane became a member of the Early Delian League, to which it remained loyal. The refusal to join the Lacedaemonians during the Peloponnesian War resulted in the plundering of its fields by the Spartan general Brasidas in 423 BC. In 349 BC, the Macedonian king Philip II destroyed the city after the betrayal of the local archon Apollonius. Alexarchos, brother of general Cassander, founded a new city in its place in 315 BC, Ouranopolis or Ouranidon polis, as evidenced by its coins. As Strabo reports, the city was enclosed by a fortification, some thirty stadia in perimeter (about five kilometers). Even so, Ouranopolis turned out to be a failed settlement attempt; it was abandoned and all activities were transferred to the neighboring Acanthus as early as the beginning of the 3rd century BC.

During the excavations carried out between 1990 and 1996, an important sanctuary was discovered outside the city walls dating from the late archaic to the Hellenistic period. Corinthian-type roof tiles with colorful painted decoration came to light from the archaic “house” of Apollo, similar to the ones found in Corinth and the Argolis at the end of the 6th century BC. Among the excavated parts of the temple, fragments of three impressive colorful, terracotta statues – acroteria stand out. These are three statues of the winged Nike, two in a standing position that would probably be placed on the sides and one εν γούνασιν δρόμου (head and torso depicted in forward position, and legs with bended knees depicted in profile), which would constitute the central acroterion. The figures are excellent examples of late-archaic sculpture and only few similar figures are found in sanctuaries in Southern Greece, such as those at Olympia and Delphi.
The sanctuary survived until the Hellenistic period, when a second, larger temple was built, probably during the establishment of Ouranoupoli at the end of the 4th century BC. Based on the finds, the sanctuary was probably dedicated to Helios or Apollo-Helios.

The foundation and the remains of the temples are kept covered and, although they at some distance, they are accessible.

E.B.Tsigarida, Terracotta Statues-acroteria from the Sanctuary of Apollo-Helios at Ancient Sane of Chalcidice, στο Terracotta. Πήλινα γλυπτά και κεραμώσεις: Νέα ευρήματα και νέες προοπτικές, Πρακτικά Ημερίδας 2015 (Αθήνα 2018), 159-170.

References

Ε.-Μπ. Τσιγαρίδα, Σάνη ἐν τῷ ἰσθμῷ, ἐς τόν τελευτᾷ ὁ Ἄθως (Ηρόδοτος, Ιστορίαι, 7,22), στο Ε. Στεφανή – Ε. Τσαγκαράκη – Ά. Αρβανιτάκη (επιμ.), Από τον Νότο στον Βορρά. Αποικίες των Κυκλάδων στο βόρειο Αιγαίο, Κατάλογος έκθεσης Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Θεσσαλονίκης 12.07.2019-31.08.2020 (Θεσσαλονίκη 2019), 83-87.