Toroni is an ancient Greek city and a former municipality in the southwest edge of Sithonia peninsula in Halkidiki, Greece.

Toroni was wife to Proteus, son of Poseidon

According to mythology, Toroni was wife to Proteus, son of Poseidon. The ancient city was founded by Halkidian settlers probably during the 8th century BC. Its strategic location and rich resources developed Toroni into one of the most significant cities in Halkidiki, giving its name to the gulf that forms between Pallene (Kassandra) and Sithonia peninsulas.

During the Greco-Persian Wars it allied with the Persians, who as a reward gave Olynthus to Kritoboulos, a local ruler, in 479 and later became part of the Athenaean League, contributing one of the highest taxes that reached 12 Attic talents per year, giving an indication of its prosperity.

When the Peloponnesian War broke out, the Athenians, fearing a revolt against them, placed a garrison in the city but that did not stop Brasidas, the Spartan general from seizing the city with a surprise attack during the night, before he came to an understanding with the Toronaeans in 423. He then tried to expand the city’s walls by including the harbour suburb, before leaving to attack Amphipolis.

However, the Athenians recaptured Toroni under Nicias, just before the return of Brasidas, who was 2 miles away. When war ended, Toroni, a leading member of the Olynthian synoecism, became part of the Halcidian League, which included most of the peninsula’s cities. After 348, and the abolition of the league by Phillip, Toroni became part of Macedon. In 168 the Romans invaded and the city decayed, but did not cease to exist, as indicated by the harbour fort, Lecythus, which was rebuilt during the Byzantine era. It is also a titular see in the Roman Catholic Church. The site continued to be occupied up to the 17th century, when the population abandoned the old city and moved to the modern town of Toroni, about one km north of the ancient city. Its strong walls and other buildings were destroyed in 1903, when the Ottomans used the city’s granite stones to cover some central roads of Constantinople and Thessaloniki.

( Photo Credits : Wikipedia )