The whole of Greece is an open museum and besides the well-known city states of Athens, Sparta, Argos, Mycenae, Knosos, Elefsis etc. where ancient Greek culture reached its height, there are other many cities which were just as important during this period.

One such city was that of Abdera (Greek: Άβδηρα), a major Greek polis on the Thracian coast close to the mouth of the Nestos River, almost directly opposite the island of Thasos in the north Aegean Sea. It was settled during the 8^th– 6^th centuries BC when the Greek city-states were colonizing areas around the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and Asia Minor because of the overpopulation of the mainland cities.

According to mythology, Abdera was founded by the hero Heracles (Greek: Ηρακλής), the son of Zeus and Alcmene, in memory of his friend Abderos, who was killed in an agonizing manner by the man-eating horses of king Diomedes of Thrace. Acquiring Diomedes’ mares was the eighth out of the twelve labours that Heracles had to carry out for King Eurystheus of Tiryns in Argolid. Heracles, in a state of madness, had killed his wife and children and was therefore trying to redeem himself for this unpardonable act by carrying out the labours that King Eurystheus had set for him. Historically, it was an Ionian city founded in 654 BC and later in the 6^th c. BC, settlers from the island of Tenedos and other areas of Asia Minor also arrived.

Abdera was the third wealthiest member of the of the Delian League, a confederacy of city-states under the leadership of Athens in the continuous fighting against the Persian Empire. The meetings would take place on the island of Delos in the sanctuary of the Temple of Apollo, the Sun God. Its wealth was due to its status as a prime port for trade with the interior of Thrace as well as the production of grain. The city’s economic prosperity could be seen by its flourishing coin minting that began around 540 BC. The chief coin type was a griffon, a legendary creature with the body, tail and back legs of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle with its talons on the front legs. There is also the mention of a bank during the 2^nd c. BC, probably state controlled. The use of seals was also widely used both privately as well as in the public sector.

The city of Abdera had a democratic system of government. Supreme authority was exercised by the Council and the People’s Assembly – the Dimos. The city’s emblem was the griffon (Greek: γρύπας), as it was on the coins. Apollo was the patron god, but Dionysus, the god of wine, theatre and merriment was also worshiped. The goddess Demeter, goddess of the grain and fertility was celebrated through the ‘Thesmophoria’ (Greek: Θεσμοφόρια), a three-day festival in which only women took part, praying for a bountiful harvest. This unique festival was celebrated across the Hellenic world.

During the Byzantine period, Abdera were continuously under attack, but it kept its population with the development of smaller settlements. During the Ottoman period, it is referred to as a small village.

The history of the city is also connected with the presence and the actions of great men of intellect such as Leucippus, who was the founder of atomism, which he developed with his student, Democritus. There was also Protagoras, the pre-Socratic philosopher and rhetorical theorist. Hippocrates of Kos, referred to as the “Father of Medicine”, taught and practiced medicine throughout his life, travelling as far as Thrace, Thessaly and the Sea of Marmara. References to Abdera have also been made by the ancient Greek writers such as Pindarus, Herodotus, Thucydides, Diodorus of Sicily, Xenophon and many others, describing the daily lives of the people. Systematic archaeological diggings were started in 1950 and are continuing to this day. The remains of the city walls, a temple to the goddess Demeter and her daughter Persephone, several private dwellings and public buildings is all that is now left of ancient Abdera.

The Archaeological Museum of Abdera accommodates important findings such as a selection of rings as well as the ‘ring-keys’, which were designed for the opening of chests and large boxes, and other findings found in the nearby cemetery. The exhibition covers the period from the 7^th c. BC to the 12^th c. BC, which includes the Byzantian period. It is set out thematically enabling the visitor to have an overview of the daily life of the inhabitants within the public and private sector.