“Thessaloniki in the Roman Period: A Multifaceted City” is the title of the International Scientific Conference co-organized by the City of Thessaloniki and the School of History and Archaeology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, on Thursday 11 and Friday 12 December 2025, at the Thessaloniki History Centre (Billi Mansion, Hippodromiou Square).The opening ceremony of the Conference will take place on Thursday, 11 December 2025, at 10:00.
A Contribution to the Study of Thessaloniki’s History
After the fall of the Macedonian kingdom to the Romans and the creation of the Province of Macedonia in 148 BC, Thessaloniki became the seat of the provincial governor. Thanks to this privileged status, as well as its strategic position along the major military axis linking the Adriatic with Byzantium — the Via Egnatia— and due to its importance as the main port of the northern Aegean, the city attracted a large number of Roman merchants as well as people from various parts of the Greek world.
These factors substantially contributed to Thessaloniki’s economic development and the formation of a cosmopolitan character, features reflected in its numerous public and private monuments, revealed by both earlier and recent excavations.
According to the organizers, although Thessaloniki’s history during the Roman period has been systematically studied from both historical and archaeological perspectives — and despite the large number of relevant publications — many aspects of the city’s political, social, economic, and religious life remain unknown.The aim of the Conference is to highlight the multiple facets of the history of the most important city of the Province of Macedonia, combining new excavation data, reassessing earlier evidence, and adopting a synthetic approach to different types of sources.
The Conference is organized as part of the celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
The event is open to the public.
More information, as well as the detailed Conference program, is available at: https://websites.auth.gr/romanthessaloniki/
Press Contact:Associate Professor of Ancient Greek History,School of History and Archaeology, Aristotle University of ThessalonikiElias Sverkos, Tel.: +30 6944946799
