The archaeological survey at Abdera and Xanthi 2015-2019: long-term analysis of colonial relations in Thrace

This paper presents the preliminary results of the Archaeological Project at Abdera and Xanthi (APAX), a systematic regional survey applying intensive pedestrian sample collection conducted in Greek Thrace. This new archaeological programme has investigated different landscape settings in the Xanthi area. Different collection strategies were developed to adapt to the conditions of visibility presented by the areas under study. The preliminary results of this research have provided quantitative and qualitative spatial data on the distribution of ancient activities, particularly for the Archaic and Classical. Moreover, they allowed a useful assessment of two cultural groups that were active in the same region during most of the 1st millennium BC, namely Greek colonists and indigenous Thracians.

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This paper presents the preliminary results of the APAX project, a systematic regional survey conducted in Greek Thrace using intensive pedestrian sample collection. The research investigated different landscape settings in the Xanthi area and developed different collection strategies based on the visibility conditions of the study areas. The results provided quantitative and qualitative spatial data on the distribution of ancient activities, particularly during the Archaic and Classical periods, and allowed for an assessment of the Greek colonists and indigenous Thracians.