Toumba (Thessaloniki)


Toumba is a district in eastern Thessaloniki, Greece. It is densely built-up and is divided into Ano Toumba and Kato Toumba by a flume, and it is part of 4th Division of Thessaloniki Municipality.
near Toumba
, home ground of PAOK FC
In archaeology the term Toumba stands for the mounds created by prehistoric settlements. They were mistaken for barrows, hence the name that is derived from the word Tomb, but excavations show that they are tells. The mound that rises in the area gave the neighbourhood its name.

The archaeological site

The archaeological site consists of a) of a steep-sided mound or tell a low table spreading around its base. Both toumba and table are the product of centuries of human habitation as debris layers built up with the passage of time. The Toumba was occupied principally during the Bronze and Early Iron Ages. This community might be identified as Ancient Therma or part of it. Therma, along with 25 other villages, was united by Cassander, in order to form Thessaloniki in 315 BC.
The excavations are still in progress, conducted by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Greek Archaeological Service. Both excavations have made and continue to make important contributions to understanding the nature of human activity in the prehistoric and early historic periods in Central Macedonia and the Thermaic Gulf.

Modern district

The modern district of Toumba was created mostly by Greek refugees from Asia Minor and Constantinople after 1922, as in the area there were mostly fields and few houses until their coming.
A massive constructive development in the area took place during the late 1970s and 1980s.

Sports clubs

PAOK FC Stadium

The Toumba neighborhood hosts the home stadium of PAOK FC, which bears the same name, Toumba Stadium.

Streets