Location: Map
Philippi is an ancient archaeological site situated in the North-
east Greece. The city of Philippi was named after Phillip II
Macedonian, father of Alexander shortly he conquered it from the
Thasians in 365 BC. However most of the buildings from that period
are gone and most of remains are from that of the Roman period.
Philippi Archaeological Site played an important part in history. A
battle was fought near the city between murders of Julius Caesar,
Brutus and Cassius, and Octavian with his ally Mark Anthony in 42
BC. It was called Philippi battle after the city. The murder was
avenged and Brutus and Cassius committed suicide. The most famous
part of the city is probably the remains of the prison where Apostle
Paul was held in 49 AD during his first trip to Europe. Here he
baptized first woman on an European continent by the name of Lydia.
Another notable sites include Basilica B and ironically public
latrine with beautifully preserved 50 marble seats.
Basilica B (Philippi)
Basilica C (Philippi)
Prison cell (Philippi)
Lavatory (Philippi)
History
From the Neolithic era in the Kingdom
of the Macedonians
The area of Philippi has been inhabited at
least by indigenous people since the Neolithic era uninterruptedly.
It is located in Dikli Tas SE of the current settlement. The history
of the settlement of Philippi begins in 360/359 BC. when settlers
from Thassos found the first city, Krinides. When in 356 BC.
threatened by the Thracians, they sought the help of Philip II, the
father of Alexander the Great. Seeing the economic and strategic
importance of the city, he captured it, fortified it and renamed it
Philippi.
Roman times
In Roman times, Philippi was the
most important city in eastern Macedonia, built in a very strategic
position and in the middle of a region rich in goods. After the
battle of Philippi (42 BC) it was converted into a Roman colony and
colonized by Roman veteran soldiers, twice. The first colonization
(deductio) took place, immediately after the battle, by order of
Antonios and was attended by veterans of the Roman army. The second
colonization, in which Italian citizens also participated, took
place after the naval battle of Aktio (31 BC) by order of Octavian
Augustus, who was considered the second settler of the city, after
Philip II and for this reason the colony henceforth it bore the name
of its genus: colonia Iulia Augusta Philippensis. As the colony was
mainly rural, the Roman colonists settled not only in the city of
Philippi but also in the comas and rural villas that were scattered
throughout the vast territory of the colony, which included within
its borders the largest part of the current prefectures of Drama and
Kavala, as well as a part of the Paggaio area of the prefecture of
Serres. The inscriptions mention the inhabitants (vicani) of various
comas, such as: the Kalpapouretes, the Proptosourians, the Ochrins,
the Iollitas, the Tripolitans, the Profiters, Mediani, Nicaenses,
Coreni, Scaporeni, Tasibasteni, Montani, Suritani.
The main
road of the Egnatia Road passed through Philippi, which after a
journey of 10-12 Roman miles brought to Naples and from there to
Thrace, as evidenced by the Roman Travels and the miles found so
far. Egnatia entered the city through the gate of Amphipolis, passed
through the forum, where a paved part of it is preserved, exited
through the gate of Naples and after crossing an extensive suburb,
continued its course to the south. Another important Roman road that
started successively in Philippi, which led successively to the
cities of Siris (Serres), Heraklion Sintiki and ended in ancient
Sardinia (today's Sofia).
From the arrival of the Apostle
Paul in the Byzantine era
A very important date was the year 49
or 50 AD, when the Apostle Paul visited Philippi and founded the
first Christian Church in Europe. This event made the city a
metropolis of Christianity. During the Byzantine times, between 963
and 969 AD, the city walls were rebuilt and the towers and the
citadel wall were built. During the 7th century, natural disasters
and raids forced the population to leave the urban center and turn
into a fortress, retaining its importance due to its location on the
main land route east - west. In the 14th century the area was
completely abandoned.