Day 597: Archaeological Site of Philippi

Early start again from Kavala, heading for the nearby ruins of Philippi, an ancient Greek settlement. Although we arrived at about 9:30am (it's not far outside town), we were dismayed to discover a car park full of tour buses! We were then mayed to find that it was for kids on a sports excursion, and they were using the nearby parks rather than the archaeological site - which we had entirely to ourselves. Not bad.

There's not actually a whole lot to see here, it's probably the least preserved of the ruins that we've visited. But I still found it quite interesting because it's closely connected to many famous people from antiquity. Firstly, it's named Philippi after its first conqueror, Phillip of Macedon who was Alexander the Great's father.

Secondly, during the Roman period there was a huge and decisive battle just outside the town in 42 BC. After Julius Caesar's assassination, an army lead by his heirs Octavian (later Augustus) and Marc Antony faced off against an army lead by Caesar's assassins, Brutus and Cassius. It sounds cliche, but Rome's history lay in the balance. Ultimately, Octavian and Marc Antony prevailed, ending completely the 500 year history of the Roman republic and paving the way for the Roman Empire (which Octavian would later become the first emperor of).

And thirdly, during the Byzantine period Philippi became an important centre because of something that had happened hundreds of years earlier. Around 49 or 50 AD, the Apostle Paul had visited Philippi and preached the gospel. He was thrown in jail and miraculously escaped (according to a tale from the book of Apostles). In the city he also built the first ever Christian church in Europe, and also performed the first ever baptism in Europe, on a local lady named Lydia.

So yeah, all up it was quite interesting, though not much to physically see. A ruined theatre, remains of the Forum, stones from early Christian basilicas, and that was basically it.

Grabbed some lunch from a bakery on the way back to Kavala, then drove into the centre of town to have a look. Parking was Greek-style only (ie anywhere your car might fit), so we opted to just have a look from inside and then cruise back home.Read more