Karabournaki is situated on the coast of the Thermaic Gulf in the north Aegean. It is a settlement of an indigenous population with no evidence of being a colony or a colonial trade station. Yet, the numerous imports suggest that it was a cosmopolitan port during the Archaic period where amphorae and other pottery types from the eastern Aegean indicate imports of wine and olive oil as well as drinking sets.

Noteworthy is also the presence of imports from mainland Greece, Attic and Corinth. The site comprises a network of dug out pits contain a wide range of finds, including pottery, bones, destroyed cooking facilities, plant remains, the remains of pottery making activities, etc. Other settlement remains are the rectangular and stone-built houses that were partially preserved and dated to the Archaic period.

The 8th century marks a period of growth and expansion from many aspects of Aegean economies. It seems that the opinion of the “opportunistic” or peripheral trade in the early Archaic transactions contrasts with the abundance of transport amphorae – goods arriving to the trade station in Karabournaki. Along with the amphoras material from Karabournaki, the corresponding material from the neighboring “indigenous” settlements of Thessaloniki Toumpa, Polichni and Sindos will be examine.