Ancient Philippi Facts That You May Not Have Heard Of Before!

Philippi was founded by the Macedonian emperor Philip II in 356 BC and was developed into small Rome.

One of eastern Macedon's important cities was Philippi that prospered during the Roman, Byzantine, and Hellenistic periods. It is located between the Nestos and Strymon rivers and is valued for its antiquity of gold mines.

Ancient history has always been a source of fascination and curiosity for scientists and archaeologists, and one of the famous archaeological sites founded by King Philip is a hotspot for knowing more about Greek and Roman culture. Keep reading this article to know more about this city's history and culture.

If you are into the history of different countries, then you might like to check out our other ancient facts on ancient Africa and ancient Ethiopia.

Women Leaders In The Philippian Church

Not far from Kavala city of Macedonia, you'd come across the city of Philippi, one of the most significant Greek archaeological sites. Although it is now in ruins, Philippi is still regarded as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and has been since 2016.

The city's ancient history has been linked to several historical events and figures that have shaped the western world. The list includes a couple of Romans such as roman politicians, generals, Macedonian kings, and one of the influential apostles of Christianity.

Apart from being the crossroad of cultures and civilizations, the archaeological site of Philippi has also been the ground of several crucial battles of antiquity. Philippi is also Europe's first site of Christian baptism.

In fact, after the visit from St. Paul, this city became an important hub of early Christianity.

The city was at its epitome of development in the Roman empire and the Byzantine period. Today this site has the remains of four basilicas and a theater.

Did you know that veteran soldiers of Philippi made up a large part of the mini Roman empire that existed in Philippi? Another fun fact: the distance between Ephesus and ancient Philippi is about seven to nine days long.

Did you know that women had an active involvement in the Philippian church? A good amount of focus on Junia, Priscilla, and Phoebe has been given in the ancient history of Philippi.

They were mentioned in the New Testament as having a significant role in Christian ministry. Discussions about these women are usually about how these women set a precedent for women of the church today and identified their actual ministries.

Syntyche and Euodia were also two less popular women who were ministers in the early church. Apostle Paul had mentioned these women in his letter to Philippians, and within that, he has given the readers a glimpse into the significance and value of their ministries.

The City Of Philippi In The Bible

Philippi was the leading city of the Roman colony and Macedonia. It was located on a major Roman road called Via Egnatia at the foot of an acropolis in northeastern Greece.

Philippi had a strategic location, and thus it became a strategic trade spot around 13 km from Neapolis, the nearest seaport. Philippi was often called mini Rome as it was a Roman colony with Roman citizens.

However, along with Roman nature, it had the Greek Hellenistic culture imbibed within it. In fact, Greek was a widely spoken language in Philippi, but many of the Thracians and Greeks in the area were later displaced by newly settled Romans of the area.

Seeing Philippi from a religious perspective, Philippi was the country that worshiped a large number of gods. There were situations where even the emperor was worshiped as a god, somewhat like an imperial cult.

The ideology of Julius Caesar that claimed him to be the savior and lord who would bring peace and salvation was also known in Philippi. These ideas and claims were an important part of the cultural identity of Philippi and were continuously reinforced by celebrations and proclamations of the emperor.

But this does not imply that such kind of imperial cults were the only religious aspects of Philippi; the influence of Christ Jesus did exist.

About 88% of the population was Christian in Philippi. Let's look at some instances.

The New Testament does record a visit of apostle Paul in 49 AD on his second missionary journey. Based on acts of apostles, early Christians concluded that Paul had founded the Christian community.

It was St. Paul who introduced Christ to them. It is believed that Paul had preached for the first time when he was in Philippi.

It is also said that Paul visited Philippi again on two occasions in 56 and 57 AD. The first church in the city was a small prayer house in the form of a small building.

Although the exact date of when synagogues were first built in ancient Philippi is unknown, the oldest dated evidence of any synagogue is found to be in the third century BCE. It was also said that the funerary heroon (temple) was seen on the archaeological site of the acropolis of Philippi.

In this Philippi community, Lydia was the first person to have believed in Christ Jesus and was the first Christian convert in Europe after her meeting with St. Paul. It is believed that she had met Paul outside Philippi's gates.

Lydia was an independent woman who had her own wealth and spacious house and worked in textiles for which her region was famous too.

Initially, by birth, Lydia worshipped the god of Jews; she would pray at a place near a river that was just outside the city. Post-meeting with Paul, she changed her religion.

Archaeological Site Of Philippi

Philippi is a fascinating subject to discuss if you like studying the cultural heritage of Greece and Rome in particular. The city's name is taken from its founder Philip II of Macedon, founded in 356 BC.

During ancient times, Philippi was located in Greece overlooking the bay at Kavala and is still located in Greece. Philippi was abandoned in the 14th century after the Ottoman conquest. Let's look at how the archaeological site of Philippi was found when excavated.

When found, remains of this walled city were at the acropolis of northeastern Greece. The city that had a considerable influence of Roman culture and Roman law was seen to have all elements in the site that conveyed the city's values.

The vibrant city had gates and walls supplemented with Roman public buildings like the forum and monumental terrace. There were also temples to the northern side. Remains of basilicas are a solid testimony to early Christianity in Europe.

In 620 CE, the walled city was subjected to destruction owing to an earthquake. Several elements of the city, stones, and buildings that included mosaics, inscriptions, and opus floors remained in situ from that time.

The modern road that goes to the site was closed in 2014. It had followed the ancient Via Egnatia route but was dismantled to the west entrance of the site near the museum.

If you ever visit this site, do try hiking to the bottom of the rocky hillside, where you'll find rock carvings of a woman in a cloak who is kneeling on the back of a deer and slitting its throat. This is, in fact, the sanctuary of goddess Artemis or Diana, as she is called in her Roman form.

Archaeological Excavation Of The Site

The cultural heritage of Philippi can very much be uncovered by its archaeological findings and excavation. Archaeologically speaking, this city is one of the most important sites of east Macedonia, comprising various Roman, Hellenistic, and early Christian monuments. It is a marvel for history seekers.

Excavations of the site were done by the French School of Archaeology in Athens in 1914. Greek archaeologists resumed excavations, which were halted by the Second World War.

The Greek Archaeological Society and the Greek Archaeological Service were responsible for archaeological activities; however, in recent times, the archaeological exploitation of the site has been carried out by the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki and the Athens French School of Archaeology. All archeological findings have been safely stored in the museum of Philippi.

The excavation site seen from the outside looks square but is octagonal once you go inside. The main core or nucleus of the entire structure is in the tomb or heroon, which is from the late Hellenistic period. There exists an octagonal church inside, too, built in 400 AD, replacing a smaller church dedicated to Paul, the apostle.

Baths of Philippi are located between cult buildings of octagonal structure and the Via Egnatia. There was also a two-storied Bishop's house that was situated to the east of the octagonal structure in the architectural block of the site. The excavation site also includes a baptistery, a monumental gateway that goes to the Via Egnatia, and a phiale.

Philippi And Greece, Today

As a history buff, you might be aware of the significance of battles and their role in shaping a city. One such famous battle was the Roman battle between Octavian, Mark Antony, and Brutus and Cassius.

Cassius and Brutus had equal forces as their opponents. They were situated to the west of Philippi and had a good position that was protected by a marsh.

As a twist to the story, Antony committed suicide after attacking the camp of Cassius during the war after knowing that Brutus's forces had attacked his partner Octavian's camp too.

Three weeks later, on October 23, Brutus fought another attack in which he was routed, after which he, too, took his own life. It was after this battle that Roman veterans started populating Philippi.

Today, Philippi is a part of modern Greece, and in its remains, you can observe the city's fortifications as large marble blocks still visible in all their glory. These walls surrounded the city and encircled it, and joined alongside a hill that protruded from another mountain called Mt.

Orvelos. You can also see a small church that has a mosaic floor with an inscription dedicated to St. Paul.

This church was later replaced by another octagonal one in 400 CE, which had a pyramid roof and double colonnade.

However, it was altered to take on square form 50 years later. You'd find the area surrounding the church to be like an enclosure with colonnaded halls (stoas), having a two-story bishopric building dedicated to priests, a gate towards Via Egnatia, and an accommodation for pilgrims as well.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for ancient Philippi facts then take a look at ancient Corinth facts, or ancient Benin facts.