The city of Serres had a continuous presence since antiquity and acquired great importance during the Byzantine period as an ecclesiastical, military and economic centre. After periods of prosperity, sieges and changes of authority, the city was finally captured by the Ottomans in 1383. The Byzantine city developed around a hill with an acropolis at its summit. Its fortification had an early Christian origin and was strengthened during the Byzantine period. The surviving sections of the walls follow the shape of the hill and include towers and an inner enclosure. Most of the preserved remains date to the Palaiologan period, while some sections retain elements from earlier phases. The Tower of Orestes is the best-preserved part of the Byzantine fortifications of Serres. It dates from around 1350 and is associated with the Serbian ruler Stefan Dušan. It is a large rectangular tower, approximately 20 metres high, which formed the strongest defensive point of the acropolis.

http://odysseus.culture.gr/ Συντάκτης Σταυρούλα Δαδάκη, αρχαιολόγος