Φίλιπποι | |
Ruins of the centre of the city: the forum in the foreground, the market and the basilica in the background.
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Location | Filippoi, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Greece |
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Region | Macedonia |
Coordinates | 41°00′47″N 24°17′11″E / 41.01306°N 24.28639°ECoordinates: 41°00′47″N 24°17′11″E / 41.01306°N 24.28639°E |
Type | Settlement |
History | |
Founded | 356 BC |
Abandoned | 14th century |
Official name | Archaeological Site of Philippi |
Type | Cultural |
Criteria | iii, iv |
Designated | 2016 (40th session) |
Reference no. | 1517 |
State Party | Greece |
Region | Europe and North America |
Philippi (/fɪˈlɪpaɪ, ˈfɪləˌpaɪ/; Greek: Φίλιπποι, Philippoi) was a city in eastern Macedonia, in the Edonis region. Its original name was Crenides (Greek: Κρηνῖδες, Krenides "Fountains") after its establishment by Thasian colonists in 360/359 BC. The city was renamed by Philip II of Macedon in 356 BC and abandoned in the 14th century after the Ottoman conquest. 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 Kavalla, Greece. It was made a World Heritage Site in 2016.
Philippi was established by Thasian colonists in 360/359 BC with the name Credides. In 356 BC Philip II of Macedon, conquered the city and renamed it to Philippi. It was sited near the head of the Aegean Sea and at the foot of Mt. Orbelos, now called Mt. Lekani, about 13 km (8.1 mi) north-west of Kavalla, on the northern border of the marsh that, in antiquity, covered the entire plain separating it from the Pangaion hills to the south of Greece.