The first excavation of a prehistoric site in Thrace took place at the mound of Parademe and brought to light important finds of the Neolithic age and of the Early Bronze age. The excavation at Parademe was, however, an exception since all research originally took place on the shores where the Ionian colonies had been founded in the 7th and 6th centuries BC. It was after the shores had been investigated that excavations were carried out from the plains adjacent to the shores up to the southern heights of mount Rodope. In 1971 a third phase of research started, covering the mountainous district of Rodope up to the Bulgarian border. Excavations aimed at marking out sites and monuments belonging to the Early and Middle Iron Age (1000-600 BC). In this article the sites are described, also exhibits from the museums of Komotini and Samothraki.