An international archaeological team led by the University of Montreal (Université de Montréal) has completed the 34th excavation season at ancient Argilos in Northern Greece.
Dr. Zisis Bonias and Université de Montréal professor Dr. Jacques Perreault co-directed the extensive 2026 summer campaign. The massive research team focused their primary efforts on the specialized Koutloudis sector.
Mapping ancient water infrastructure
This bustling urban area groups multiple buildings associated with ancient domestic and commercial activities. Over 80 university and CEGEP students spent weeks systematically uncovering everyday residential spaces, historic storefronts, and vital civic infrastructure. The new discoveries provide critical insights into the artisans and merchants who once navigated these commercial streets.
The 2026 field season yielded highly significant archaeological excavation data regarding the ancient Argilos’ complex public utilities. Furthermore, to celebrate these milestones, the Ephorate of Serres and the University of Granada co-hosted a local scientific conference on ancient water management.
Field supervisors Keven Ouellet, Shelby Vieira, Lola Baillet, Samuel Chaput, Ian House, and Justine Buchler coordinated the daily trench operations. Additionally specialist archaeologist Frédéric Lemyre-Corbeil deployed a real-time geolocalisation system to document the precise location of every artifact as it emerged from the soil.
Cataloging treasures in Amphipolis
The scientific work continued long after the student crews left the excavation trenches.
The team spent multiple days working directly inside the regional Amphipolis museum facility. They collaborated with specialized staff to meticulously wash, catalog, and stabilize all the artifacts recovered during the season.
Archaeologists Saskia Deluy and Kozeta Mjeshtri supervised this delicate preservation work to transform field finds into permanent historical data. The international team expressed deep gratitude to Dimitra Malamidou, Director of the Ephorate of Serres, and chief guard Giorgos Galios.
The historical significance of ancient Argilos
Founded in 655 BC by Greek colonists from Andros, Argilos reigns as the oldest organized city-colony on the Thracian coast. The thriving maritime settlement strategically dominated the mouth of the Strymon River. It was operating as a critical trade bridge between local mineral-rich Thracian tribes and the wider Mediterranean network.
The powerful city-state regularly minted its own independent silver currency during the fifth century BC.
Eventually, its geopolitical fortunes shifted dramatically following the founding of neighboring Amphipolis by Athens in 437 BC. The rise of this new Athenian military powerhouse quickly eclipsed Argilos’s regional trade dominance and fractured its historic trade networks.
The settlement’s long history finally reached a sudden, violent conclusion in 357 BC. King Philip II of Macedon invaded the region, conquered the territory, and destroyed the city to consolidate Macedonian rule.
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