Palatiano

Palatiano
Παλατιανό
Settlement
The church in Palatiano
The church in Palatiano
Palatiano is located in Greece
Palatiano
Palatiano
Location within Greece
Coordinates: 41°08′06″N 22°54′47″E / 41.1351°N 22.9130°E / 41.1351; 22.9130
CountryGreece
Administrative regionCentral Macedonia
Regional unitKilkis
MunicipalityKilkis
Municipal unitKroussa
CommunityGerakario
Elevation
380 m (1,250 ft)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total
31
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)

Palatiano (Greek: Παλατιανό, before 1927: Σαραϊλή Saraili) is a small village in the Kilkis regional unit of Central Macedonia, Greece. It is most known for the archaeological site located nearby, which consists of a notably preserved city that peaked during the 1st to 3rd centuries CE.

History

Palatiano was known as Saraili (Σαραϊλή) before 1927 and it was located within the territory of the Ottoman Empire until 1913, when it was ceded to Greece in the Treaty of Bucharest that ended the Balkan Wars. Its inhabitants were Turkish up until 1923, when they were transferred to Turkey during the population exchange between Greece and Turkey following the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922. In their place settled Pontic Greeks, 20 families numbering 65 people in total.

Archaeological site

View of the archaeological site of Palatiano.

The archaeological site of Palatiano is located near the village and consists of a well preserved ancient city, estimated to have been established sometime during the 10th century BCE and it peaked during the Roman period from the 1st century CE until the 3rd century CE, when it was destroyed for unknown reasons. The site has been identified by some researchers as the ancient city of Ioron (Ancient Greek: Ἴωρον), though such claims have not been confirmed. Among the most prominent findings of the site are four statues each depicting a member of a family which was possibly of royal descent. They were discovered by accident in 1960 and were the first artifacts to be discovered there. The originals are now located in the Archaeological Museum of Kilkis, while copies of them have been placed at the original site. The first archaeological excavations took place there the following year, in 1961, while more followed in 1965, 1966 and 1977. The systematic research of the site started in 1993 and continued until the end of that decade, while some additional excavations were carried out up until 2003.

References

  1. ↑ Εγκυκλοπαίδεια Νέα Δομή (in Greek). Vol. 26. Athens: Τεγόπουλος - Μανιατέας. 1996. p. 279.
  2. ↑ "Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό" [Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.
  3. ↑ "Πανδέκτης: Saraili - Palatianon". pandektis.ekt.gr. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  4. ↑ "Balkan Wars". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  5. ↑ Milojević, Borivoje Ž. (1921). "Јужна Македонија: антропогеографска испитивања" [Southern Macedonia: Anthropogeographical Research] (PDF). Српски етнографски зборник [Serbian Ethnographic Collection] (in Serbian). 21. Belgrade: State Printing House of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes: 34.
  6. ↑ Chatzisavvidis, Sofronis. Τα ποντιακά στον ελλαδικό χώρο (in Greek). Retrieved 20 July 2026
  7. ↑ Λιθοξόου, Δημήτρης. Κατάλογος των προσφυγικών συνοικισμών της Μακεδονίας σύμφωνα με τα στοιχεία της Επιτροπής Αποκαταστάσεως Προσφύγων (ΕΑΠ) έτος 1928 (in Greek). Retrieved 26 July 2026
  8. ↑ Φαρμάκη, Μαρία; Πουλακάκης, Νεκτάριος. "Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού και Αθλητισμού | Παλατιανό: Μια ρωμαϊκή πόλη στα Κρούσσια όρη του Κιλκίς - Περιγραφή". odysseus.culture.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  9. ↑ "Αρχαιολογικοί χώροι Κιλκίς (Επαρχία)". Greek Travel Pages (in Greek). Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  10. ↑ Φαρμάκη, Μαρία; Πουλακάκης, Νεκτάριος. "Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού και Αθλητισμού | Παλατιανό: Μια ρωμαϊκή πόλη στα Κρούσσια όρη του Κιλκίς - Ιστορικό". odysseus.culture.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2026-07-20.