Dion

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Dion

The sacred city This archaeological site was identified in December 1806 by an English traveler named William Martin Leake. Vladimira Dvorakova / age fotostock;

Dion is a sacred city in Macedonia, and its very name is reminiscent of the Gods of Olympus as it is derived from the word 'theos', meaning 'gods' in ancient Greek.
Legend has it that this archaeological site was chosen for the springs of Mount Olympus, which bubble up there. The first relics found here date back to the third century BC and were the work of the Macedonian kings, and Alexander the Great himself even stayed here, having 25 copper statues erected (in 334 BC) to ingratiate himself with Zeus before setting off to conquer new lands in Asia Minor.
Dion also played host to the Olympic Games for several centuries, and legend has it that plays by Euripides were performed in its impressive theatre as early as the 4th Century AD. Nowadays, Dion is experiencing something of a renaissance, and is once again hosting the same classical plays, which remain popular today. It may be less impressive than some of the sites around Athens, but it does offer a great insight into the history of the area.