If you wish to learn more about the Roman past of the city, you can visit the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki.
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02The Snakes’ Column Yilan Mermer

“Don’t come close to these marbles because snakes will come out and they will eat you up!”

The column standing neglected at the sidewalk outside the Public Electricity Building dates back to the end of antiquity (4th to 6th century A.D.). It is the pedestal of a column that supported the statue of an emperor and stands almost in the original location it was placed when built. Such monuments were widespread throughout the Roman Empire and this one is an important testimony to the city's strategic importance during this period. During the Ottoman period the column was called "the marble of the snake" echoing a popular belief. It marked a square known as "The Snake Square ". A series of photos, mainly from the early 20th century, depict the column on its high pedestalIt is the base on which a construction is found; in this case, the five-leveled base of the Hagiou Dimitriou monument. functioning as a lamp post next to a fountain. In 1975 due to the expansion of Hagiou Dimitriou street the monument, after a short excavation, was removed from its original position and was placed five meters northern at the point where it can be seen today.

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