The oldest piece of cloth in Macedonia is 5,500 year old and was found in 2014 in the Pieria, close to Mt Olympus. Archaeologists focused on the area’s settlement and found traces of fabric used during a 500-year time frame, which marks the end of the Stone Age and the dawn of the Bronze Age. The fibers found are made of plants and were even passed through a bronze needle. These traces of fabric were preserved for millennia because they were mineralised by the bronze needle.

The Persian Wars with Greece begin in the 5th century BC. In 492 BC, the Persian King Darius appointed Mardonius as one of his generals to destroy Athens. On his way to the city-state, Mardonius’ fleet was wrecked in a storm close to Mt Athos, losing 300 ships and 20,000 men. After that, Mardonius was relieved of his command by the Persian King, who attempted a second campaign, only to be defeated for a second time at the Battle of Marathon (490 BC). In 2014, archaeologists hoisted from the sea two helmets which could belong to one of Mardonius’s Corinthian mercenaries.

See also Greek News Agenda: A Good Year for Archaeology Parts I, II & III