"The unveiling of Philippi!" Philippi by Jenniflower

To think this all used to be swamp-land! The ruins of Philippi lie near the deserted hamlet of Filibedjik, fifteen kilometres from Kavala.

We arrived on a VERY hot day - 38 degrees C *phew*... even for us South Africans, that was HOT! lol Thankfully we had pale clothing on, plus sunscreen, caps, hats, sun glasses and plenty of water. The site is large, so one does a bit of walking. It is so fascinating! From Roman scripts, to seeing the ORIGINAL floor mosaics, to seeing where Paul and Silas were held captive. This was a definate holiday highlight for us.

99% of the city of Phillipi was under a swamp until it was drained. The only protruding parts of the ruins were the highest points of the Basilica. When the swamp was drained the city below was revealed...

The ancient Greek amphitheatre

Philip of Macedonia took possession of this village and gave it his name, Philippi in the plural.

In 168 B. C. the Romans captured it. In the autumn of 42 B. C. the celebrated battle between Brutus and Cassius was fought on the neighbouring marshy plain. In the first conflict Brutus triumphed over Octavius, whilst Antony repulsed Cassius, who committed suicide. Unable to maintain discipline in his army, and defeated twenty days later, Brutus also took his life. A Roman colony was established here. The Archdiocese of Kavala was reunited to the metropolis in December, 1616.

This amphitheatre was built during Philip ll's life.

Restoration of the ruins - slow but sure

What an awesome discovery this is! They have started restoration, and it’s coming along well, but most of it is still in ruin.

We wanted to spend much longer there and take in everything, but had to stay with the *time keeping* tour group. We would love to go back some day!

• Pros:Biblically and archaeolgically VERY moving
• Cons:VERY hot, and a harried tour guide!
• In a nutshell:Will go again :)