What Is The Achaeological Site Of Philippi?
Philippi was a walled Greek city northwest of the island, Thasos. It lies at the foot of an acropolis in north-eastern Greece, on the ancient Via Egnatia route between Europe and Asia.
The city was originally called Crenides by the Thasian colonists in 360/359 BC. It was renamed by Philip II of Macedon in 356 BC and developed into a small Rome with the establishment of the Roman Empire in the decades following the Battle of Philippi in 42 BC.
The walls around the city and their gates, the theatre and the funerary heroon or temple can still be seen today together with Roman public buildings such as the Forum and a monumental terrace with temples to its north.
The city became a centre of the Christian faith following the visit of the Apostle Paul in 49-50 AD. The remains of its basilicas constitute an exceptional testimony to the early establishment of Christianity.
The present municipality, Filippoi, is located near the ruins of the ancient city and is part of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace in Kavala, Greece. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016.
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History
The ancient city of Philippi lies at the boundary of the marshes that cover the southeast part of the plain of Drama. The site was originally colonized by the people of Thasos, who, aware of the area’s plentiful supplies of precious metals, timber, and agricultural products, established the city of Crinides in 360 BC.
When the city was threatened by the Thracians the inhabitants turned to King Philip II of Macedon for help. Realizing its economic and strategic potential, Philip conquered, fortified, and renamed the city after himself. The construction of the Via Egnatia through the city in the second century BC made Philippi an important regional centre.
The battle of Philippi, which took place outside the west city walls in 42 BC, was a turning point in the city’s history. Mark Anthony and Octavian won the battle and colonized the city and renamed it Colonia Victrix Philippensium. Octavian became the Roman emperor in 27 BC and renamed the city Colonia Iulia Philippensis and later changed the name to Colonia Augusta Iulia Philippensis when he received the title Augustus in 27 BC. The new Roman colony developed into a financial, administrative, and artistic centre.
A century later Saint Paul founded the first Christian Church on European soil at Philippi in 49/50 AD. The establishment of the new religion and the city’s closeness to Constantinople, the Roman Empire’s new capital, brought new splendour. Three magnificent basilicas and the Octagon complex, the cathedral dedicated to Saint Paul, were erected in the city centre. The Basilica of Paul, identified by a mosaic inscription on the pavement, is dated around 343 AD.
At the end of the 6th century, weakened by the Slavic invasions, the city was almost destroyed by an earthquake around 619, from which it never recovered. There was some activity during the 7th century but only a village was left of the original city.
Several seals of civil servants and other Byzantine officials, dated to the first half of the 9th century, prove the presence of Byzantine armies in the city. Around 969, Emperor Nicephorus II Phocas rebuilt the fortifications on the acropolis and in part of the city. In 1077 Bishop Basil Kartzimopoulos rebuilt part of the defences inside the city and the city began to prosper again.
When the city was finally abandoned is not sure but when the French traveller Pierre Belon visited the area in the 1540s there were nothing but ruins, used by the Turks as a quarry.
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Archaeological Remains
The first archaeological description of the city was made in 1856 by Perrot, then in 1861 by Léon Heuzey and Henri Daumet. Excavations at Philippi began in 1914 under the French School at Athens and were resumed by the Greek Archaeological Service and the Archaeological Society at Athens after the Second World. The site is currently excavated by the Greek Archaeological Service, the Aristoteleian University of Thessaloniki, and the French School at Athens. The finds are stored at the Philippi Archaeological Museum.
The 3.5-kilometre-long walls begin at the fortified acropolis on the hilltop and surround the foot of the hill and part of the plain. Inside the acropolis is a Late Byzantine tower.
The theatre, which was probably built by King Philip II, was thoroughly remodelled in the second and third centuries AD in order to accommodate the Romans.
The Roman forum, the administrative centre, was a complex of buildings positioned around a central square, with two monumental temples at the northeast and northwest. The large paved road that runs north of the forum has been identified as the ancient Via Egnatia.
Basilica A is a large three-aisled basilica, with a transept, a square atrium, a gallery over the aisles and narthex, and an unusual phiale. Fragments of the luxurious pavement and part of the ambo are preserved in the central aisle.
Basilica B is a three aisled basilica with a narthex and annexes to the north and south. The square central aisle was covered by a dome supported on large pillars, and the sanctuary was vaulted. The sculptural decoration is influenced by Constantinopolitan art.
The Octagon was the episcopal church of Philippi. The church replaced an earlier smaller church dedicated to Saint Paul. The complex also comprises a phiale, a baptistery, a bathhouse, a two-storied Episcopal residence, and a monumental gateway.
The rectangular building that was discovered south of the Forum of the Roman city, was identified as the Roman market. The complex consisted of a central columned court with shops to its right and left.
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Interest For Today
The Archaeological Museum of Philippi has two levels of exhibition spaces for permanent display of the finds from excavations of the ancient city. The museum includes four major collections of finds from the prehistoric settlement of Dikili-Tash, the Hellenistic, Roman and Early Christian city of Philippi.
Location
The Ancient city of Philippi is in Filippoi, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Greece, at the coordinates 41°00′47″N 24°17′11″E.
Address: Filippoi (Prefecture of Kavala)
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Tourist Information
The site can be visited daily during the winter months from 08:30 – 15:30 and in the summer from 08:00 – 20:00. It is closed during holidays.
Tickets are €6 for adults and €3 for children. On certain days admission is free.
Contact details:
- Telephone: +30 2510 516251
- Fax: 2510622810
- Email: efakav@culture.gr
