Acanthus

Acanthus was an ancient Greek colonial city on the eastern coast of the Chalkidiki peninsula, founded in the 7th century BC by settlers from Andros. It thrived as a notable trading hub along the northern Aegean during the Archaic and Classical periods, and later appears in accounts of Xerxes' Persian campaign, as his fleet passed near its shores. Today the site lies on the outskirts of modern Ierissos, its remains only partially excavated. It is a quiet, largely undeveloped archaeological site — rewarding for those drawn to unmediated contact with ancient Greek urban remains away from major tourist circuits.