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Over 104,000 movable archaeological finds (coins, pottery, ornaments of gold, bronze, silver, ceramic, glass, etc.) have been unearthed by the archaeologists during the excavations connected with the construction of the four underground stations in Thessaloniki which have been ongoing for seven years now.

Director of the Department of Byzantine Monuments Despina Makropoulou defined her report entitled "From Golden Gate to Kasandreotiki Gate. The Story of Stations" as a summary of the archaeological activities carried out during the construction of the underground in Thessaloniki. The report was presented at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki.

Through the archaeologist and in the presence of hundreds of listeners who had filled "Manolis Andronikos" hall and the lobby of the Archaeological Museum, the underground stations "told" the story about Golden Gate and Vardariou Gate (the station at Dimokratia Square and the fork to Stavroupouli) and about their long life that lasted over six centuries. They "talked" about the necropolis, streets, entrances to the city, and about the cemeteries from the late Roman era to the Ottoman rule, the Muslim graves and inns. The "journeys" in time and to various places "told" the story about the station at Fontana, slightly to the east and near Kasandreotiki Gate, where a late Christian Basilica had been found in 2009.

The "story" stopped for a while at "Agia Sofia" station (only 370 metres away from the widely discussed "Venizelos" station, on today's "Egnatia" street). It also mentioned the  ancient "avenue" (the so-called Decumanus Maximus), from which at least 72.80 metres have been unearthed, but only in its south section, as there have been no excavations in its north part, which today is underneath Macedonomahon square.

The street, with its marble slabs and marble curbs, widens out, thus forming a square covered with slabs, with a fountain in the middle, so that passers-by and residents in the area could quench their thirst.

The monumental appearance of the street is complemented by a colonnade, a high pedestal of which is still preserved. It supports the foundations of seven columns from the 4th and 6th century and outlines the thoroughfare to the south, which is defined as "via colonnata".

The finds unearthed along the southern construction line include just late Christian facades of buildings and some doorways as well as remains of the Jewish quarter that had burnt during the fire of 1917. However, the story of "Venizelos" station is more detailed, clear and impressive, due to the exceptional finds.

The lecture mentioned the Central Archaeological Council’s "wrong" decision, as it was defined, which provided for the finds to be moved, stored and displayed elsewhere. It also mentioned the 12,500 signatures of Greek and foreign scientists and citizens in favour of "the historical necessity of the coexistence of the finds (without moving them) with the contemporary underground."

Despina Makropoulou ended her lecture with the words, "Indeed, the construction of the underground has become an opportunity to learn a lot about our city but also to take care of and preserve this knowledge as we want to build our future on the knowledge of our historical past rather than on its "dead body," which rose cheers from the audience. The event was organised by the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki within the context of the "Philological Evenings", realized in collaboration with "Philologist", the Alumni Society of the School of Philosophy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.