KAVALA GREECE

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Table of Contents:
NOT SO ANCIENT.
KAVALA TODAY
SHOULD SEE
PHILIPPI
AMPHIPOLIS

SEE KAVALA

Kavala is a city in eastern Macedonia and the capital of the Kavala region.

Due to its location on the Bay of Kavala, it is a key seaport for the area. In addition to cargo, ferries depart to Thasos, Samothraki, Limnos, and the eastern port of Alexandroupoli. Thasos is eight miles off the coast and is visible most days from Kavala.

Thessaloniki is 100 miles west, and Ouranoupoli, the gateway to the Athos monasteries, is 80 miles southwest.

Going east, Alexandroupoli is 90 miles away, just before the Turkish border.

The first known settlement in the area is from the late 7th century B.C. Settlers from Thasos began leaving the safety of their island to explore the mainland. With the discovery of silver, then gold settlement began popping up all along the coast. They find numerous deposits in the Pangaion Hills west of Kavala.

They name the town Neapolis. The name Kavala will not happen until much later.

Near the end of the sixth century B.C. Neapolis breaks from Thasos. With their abundance of precious metals, they begin minting their own coins.

Remains in the archeological museum indicate that the locals may have been worshiping a virgin (Parthenos) deity similar to Artemis. This is a little unusual as her brother Apollo was the most popular of the Ionians.

A temple of Thassian marble dates from the 6^th century B.C., replacing an earlier temple. Unfortunately, none of it remains on the Acropolis.

Delian League

In 478 B.C. Neapolis joins the Delian League for protection from the Persian Empire, causing trouble to the southeast. Athens controls this group of city-states that may number as many as 300 at its peak.

In 465 B.C., Athens starts a city (Amphipolis) near the mouth of the Struma river. This is on the west side of the Pangaion Hills.

Seeing this as a direct threat from Athens on her interests in the mines, Thasos breaks with the league.  Thasos sides with Persia against Athens.

They battle for more than two years before Thasos surrenders. As reparations, Athens takes their land, naval ships, and gold mines, the reason they went against Athens.

Thasos does not forget or forgive. During the Peloponnesian War (411 B.C.), they attack Neapolis with the help of Sparta. Neapolis wards them off and the following year joins Athens in the Siege of Thasos.

Unfortunately, circa 404 B.C., Sparta, with support from the Persians, defeats Athens and its allies. Greece begins a quiet period of rebuilding their towns, walls, navies, and economies. Only Sparta, collecting member fees from its allies, does well in this period.

Macedonia

Greece is still floundering 50 years later when Philip II of Macedon arrives (circa 356 B.C). It takes him little time to seize all of Greece except Sparta. His son Alexander will remedy that circa 331 B.C.

Philip seizes a small settlement north of Neapolis that the Thasians began after the war. He renames it, Philippi. It is on the main route going east and west, has freshwater springs and all those mines.

He makes Neapolis the harbor for Philippi.

They will discover more mines, and Philippi becomes a major city minting its own coins. As long as Philippi is doing well, so is Neapolis.

With the mysterious death of Alexander in 323 B.C., his generals divided up the kingdom. The Hellenistic period begins. Instead of banding together, the generals fight amongst themselves, winning, losing, and acquiring. They are not paying close attention to what is happening to their west.

Roman Era.

With a final victory over the Carthaginians circa 200 B.C., the Romans look east for their growing real estate portfolio.

The Romans will crush the Antigonid dynasty of Macedon during the Third Macedonian War (circa 168 B.C.) They make Philippi a Roman civitas (community.)

By 146 B.C. Roman Macedonia includes the kingdom of Macedonia, Epirus, Thessaly, Thrace, and more.

Good news and bad news for Neapolis comes from this. Philippi loses its title as capital. The Romans move it west to Thessaloniki, closer to the center of the new region. With that goes Neapolis’s role as the capital port. Also, Amphipolis, benefitting from a new Roman road, grows as an important port.

But that same road also helps Neapolis. It is the Via Egnatia. The Romans build this paved road stretching from Dyrrachium on the Adriatic, to Byzantium, following Alexander’s previous trail.

44 B.C., after leading the liberator senators to stab Caesar 23 times accidentally, Brutus and Cassius flee Rome. They end up in Greece, where they attempt to rule the eastern kingdoms.

Mark Anthony and Octavian pursue. During the Battle of Philippi (42 B.C.) Brutus and Cassius both commit suicide after monumental losses on the battlefield.

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Not So Ancient.

In 49 A.D., the Apostle Paul takes his first step in Europe when he steps off a boat in Neapolis. Although not as important as Thessaloniki, it is still a major commercial center. A monument near the harbor pays homage.

From Neapolis, the Apostle follows the Via Egnatia to Philippi, where he will begin the first Christian church in Europe. Have you heard of the Philippians?

Middle Ages

Circa 330, Emperor Constantine I divides the Roman Empire into two, creating the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantine. He builds a new “Rome” upon the ruins of Byzantium and makes it the eastern capital. It rules over all of today’s Greece and Turkey. Upon his death, six years later, they change the city’s name to Constantinople.

By the 6th century, Slavs began appearing along Byzantine’s northern borders. Some would settle while great throngs would migrate through. This was a double whammy on agriculture as there were more to feed and less usable land.

Emperor Justinian I, a Thracian descendant, fortifies the cities of Macedonia, including Philippi and Neapolis.

By the 800s, Neapolis is now going by the name Christoupolis, City of Christ. Due to increasing attacks from the Bulgarians, they strengthen the fortifications. Historical reports tell of several victories by the armed forces from Christoupolis.

Build It Up…

However, sometime in the late 800s, the walls fail. A 926 A.D. inscription mentions repairing the fallen and damaged walls.

Writings from circa 1150 describe the city as a center for sea trade with excellent fortifications.

A few years later, the Normans, after sacking Thessaloniki on their march to Constantinople, burn Christoupolis. By the end of that year (1185), the Normans retreat from a larger Byzantine army coming from the east.

The Fourth Crusade (1199) was many things but not a religious crusade. The Pope’s army “accidentally” sacks Constantinople on its way to the Holy Land. With this direct hit, the unstable Byzantine Empire falls to its knees. The Pope and his allies swoop in to collect the booty. The area of Christoupolis and Philippi are probably under the rule of the Lombards, but not for long.

By 1225, Byzantine forces, regrouping since the fall of Constantinople, take back many of the towns of Northern Greece.

Laying the Pathway.

Circa 1303, the Byzantine Emperor Palaeologus hires 6,500 Catalan mercenaries for his campaign against the Turks. The Catalans are remarkably successful but then turn on the hand that is feeding them. They begin a two-year pillage (revenge) westward through Macedonia and Thrace. They do not stop until they reach Athens, that they will rule for the next 68 years.

In their tracks, they leave Constantinople and many cities in various levels of destruction. Christoupolis manages to repel their attack, and they fortify the town even more.

The Byzantines win the battle but lose the war. The Ottomans start collecting the Byzantine remains.

Thanks to the multiple fortifications, Christoupolis manages to keep them out until 1387. By then, the city is a Byzantine island in a sea of Ottomans.

The Ottomans Kavala.

Like most places in Greece, the Ottomans did not change things dramatically. Unlike Catholicism, which the Ottoman’s enemies were practicing, the Eastern Orthodox Church was an accepted institution. However, this was in moderation. Many churches would become mosques, and there is no building of new churches or monasteries. The Ottomans would also accept any converts.

The Ottomans also allow most towns to rule themselves if their fees to the Ottomans arrive on time.

It is possible the name Kavala comes from the Ottomans. During the 1500s, the Ottomans transplant thousands of Muslim settlers into the new lands. They move a large group from Konya (Ikonio) into the Christoupolis area. In Ikonio, there was a Byzantine fortress by the name Kavala. Some say they give Christoupolis this Byzantine name that the settlers recognize to make them feel less far from home.

Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha is a Christian from Epirus (Greece.) He becomes a slave while in his teens. They send him to work at Iskender (governor of Bosnia) Pasha’s estate. Here, circa 1514 he meets and becomes friends with Prince Suleiman. Six years later, when Suliman takes his father’s reign, he appoints his friend as the Grand Vizier (Prime Minister).

What does this have to do with Kavala?

As the second in command, he takes good care of his homeland. In Kavala, he reconstructs the Roman aqueduct and extends the fortress. Unfortunately, Suliman’s wife gets jealous of the Vizier and has him assassinated. And she takes his position—end of the gifts for Kavala.

20^th Century Kavala.

By late 1912, the kingdoms of Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Greece rise against the Ottomans. I guess after 500 years, they were overstaying their welcome. The first Balkan War lasts about seven months.

The Ottomans are not expecting this and are off-guard. They lose more than 80% of their European territories and close to 70% of their population.

By the end, there is a new state, independent Albania.

Bulgaria, unhappy with its share of the spoils, attacks Serbia and Greece a month later, starting the Second Balkan War. Romania, also having land disputes with Bulgaria, jumps in. Within a month, Bulgaria is asking for an Armistice. As an outcome, they lose even more land.

It is during the Second Balkan War that the Greek navy arrives and liberates Kavala.

Everyone lives happily ever after or until a year later when WWI begins.

WWI and Kavala

Within two years, the Bulgarian army occupies Kavala and eastern Macedonia. They will remain for the last two years of the war. During this time, they carry out ethnic cleansing. They kill more than 12,000 Greeks in eastern Macedonia, including Kavala.

Less than a year after the Bulgarian atrocities, Kavala finds itself in the Greco-Turkish War of 1919. This three-year war is to regain Anatolia, a part of ancient Greece. It was to be Greece’s reward for siding with the British.

The war ends with Turkey keeping Anatolia. The two countries agree to a population exchange. The Greeks in Anatolia return to Greece, and the Ottomans in Macedonia move to Turkey.

Kavala enters a new era of prosperity with the new Greek labor pool from Anatolia. The area’s industrial and agricultural businesses thrive. One product that supports both industries is tobacco, which Kavala processes and trades. Until 1935, Kavala is the fourth largest city in Greece.

Kavala and World War II

1939 and the world is at it again. By October of 1940, Italian troops pour into Greece, beginning the Greco-Italian War. The Greeks are successful at first until Germany sends German and Bulgarian troops overwhelming the Greeks.

By 1941, Bulgaria begins another occupation of Kavala, lasting until the end of the war. During these three years, Bulgarian troops under German orders round up almost the entire Jewish community of the city. Almost 1800 Kavala Jews would die at the Treblinka extermination camp in Poland. More than 4000 in Eastern Macedonia. By 1948, the Jewish population of Kavala is 42. By 2000, it drops to zero. As of 2018, there was only one Jew left in Eastern Macedonia. There is still a Jewish section in the Kavala cemetery but the synagogue was a victim of the Bulgarians.

The Macedonian resistance is responsible for capturing more than 2200 Bulgarians and the death of over 1500 Bulgarians.

For Kavala, much of the 1950s is a time of economic decline and immigration to the larger cities.

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KavalaToday.

Kavala has approximately 54,000 citizens living in the city.

The service sector supports more than 75% of the economy.

Tourism tops the list, then agriculture, including packing plants. There is also a large fishing and fish trading market and mining of petrol and marble.

What is in Kavala for me?

See & Hear.

There is a natural beauty as well as numerous historical sights.

Sit at the beach and listen to waves or take a hike on an ancient Roman trail through nature.

Taste & Smell.

Here you will taste authentic home cooking. They are not feeding hordes, but discriminating Greeks who know how that dish should taste.

Take a walk through the waterfront, where numerous tavernas prepare fresh local items. Smell the fish and meat grilling and the faint hint of oregano.

Feel.

There is not much that feels touristy about this city. Several beaches do not host super swim clubs with blaring music. The streets in the older section have fewer cars. There is a feeling of calm in many areas.

Sit in the square and enjoy a glass of wine. Watch the locals coming and going and think back on your ancient Greek exploration or following a Roman aqueduct.

There may be better ways to meet the approaching evening, but this one doesn’t suck.

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Should See Kavala.

Kavala Fort

What you see remaining are from the Ottoman reconstruction of 1425. There are no ancient Greek or Roman remains, although a few artifacts are in the local museum. The views over Kavala are the reason to climb.

Kavala Aqueduct.

Spanning almost 300 yards, and rising more than 80 feet at the middle, this aqueduct dates to 1530. It is on the site of and probably incorporates blocks from a previous Roman aqueduct destroyed in 1391. This Ottoman aqueduct was bringing water to the city until the early 1900s.

Archaeological Museum

The museum features local artifacts dating back to the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. There is also a section to the findings from Neapolis, including the temple of Athena Parthenos. There is also a selection of artifacts from Ancient Amphipolis, the port the Athenians began in 465 B.C.

Tobacco Museum

The museum includes objects and archival material dating from the 1800s, when everything was manual, to the mid-1900s. This includes commercial and agricultural processing, tobacco products, and a glance into Kavala’s social history,

Maritime Museum of Kavala

Through nautical and shipping instruments, boat models, books, paintings, and photographs, you get a great look into Kavala’s maritime history. The museum is a 10-minute walk from the archeological museum on the water’s edge.

Mohammed Ali Museum

Dating from circa 1790, this was the largest house in Kavala at the time. It is the home of a future ruler of Egypt, not the kid from Louisville who floats like a butterfly. The house is one of the finest examples of 18th-century Ottoman architecture surviving in Greece. You can find it on the south side of the fort hill, near the lighthouse.

Halil Bey Mosque

Dating from circa 1530, this mosque was also home to a madrasa (seminary school) adjacent, that also survives. The last time I saw the one-story school, it was purple and housing offices and storage rooms. The mosque is now a space for cultural exhibits.

Coastal Wall

Dating from circa 1530, you can see the walls rebuilt on earlier walls protecting Neapolis. The walls are above the Kavala ferry dock.

Imaret

Circa 1817, Mohammed Ali, founder of the final Egyptian dynasty, establishes a religious, educational, and charitable institution – an Imaret. It includes a religious school and a soup kitchen for the poor. By 1922, it becomes lodging for refugees from the population switch. In 2001, after a major restoration, it opens as a deluxe hotel. 30-minute tours are available of some of the major areas.

Platia Kapnergati (Tobacco Worker’s Square),

Here, you can see the monument to the Tobacco Worker, and hence, the square’s name. It depicts figures of two men and a woman, all responsible for the industry’s success. Another structure, “the hands,” represents the tobacco worker’s speed, power, and mastery.

Municipal Tobacco Warehouse

The large building behind the square is the Municipal Warehouse. Once the offices and warehouse of Kiazim Emin & Cie, it dates from 1910. The architectural style is Ottoman neoclassicism. Today, it is a cultural space for various exhibits.

The Municipality (City Hall)

Megali Leschi (Great Hall)

Catholic Monastery of St. Paul.

In the Footsteps of the Apostle Paul.

Monument to the Apostle Paul

By the church of St Nicholas is a mosaic wall depicting the Apostle’s arrival in Kavala circa 49 A.D. The town was Neapolis at that time, and the docks were probably nearby. Traveling with him is Luke the evangelist, Apostle Timothy, and Saint Silas.

Via Egnatia.

Ancient Philippi

Recap, it begins circa 360 B.C. as a colony. Philipp II claims it for himself a few years later. The Romans claim it circa 168 B.C. They soon build the Via Egnatia through it and make Philippi a Roman city. Brutus and Cassius will commit suicide after losing to Marc Anthony and Octavio in the Battle of Philippi. So by the time Paul arrives, it is a thriving city.

Paul arrives in Philippi, and as there is no synagogue, he approaches women washing clothes along the river. After preaching to them, Lydia has him baptize herself and her staff. She then offers the travelers a place to sleep in her home.

In the nearby agora, Paul casts out evil spirits from a girl who is yelling at him. Angry Romans drag Paul and Silas before the magistrates to explain their actions. The magistrates order their flogging, then throw them into prison. At midnight, a violent earthquake sets them free. Instead of fleeing, they remain, and the jailer (and his family) become believers.

In the morning, Paul insists the magistrates apologize for flogging and imprisoning Roman citizens without a fair trial. They do. Paul and Silas leave Luke in Philippi to continue preaching and continue west spreading the word.

Paul will revisit Philippi as well as write several letters to the Philippians.

Ancient Theater

The Roman theatre sits on top of a theater built by Philip II  circa 4th century B.C.  The current theater has Romans alterations from the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D.  Check for performances in the summer months.

Basilica A

This Christian basilica is from circa 5th century A.D. Unfortunately, an earthquake destroys it soon after its completion. It is, to date, the largest basilica in Philippi. The ruins of the Baptistry are on the north side, between the basilica and Acropolis hill.

Paul’s Prison

Between Basilica A and the Roman forum, you will see a fence with a sign saying Paul’s prison. That would be neat if it were true. But a prison would not be in this area of a Roman city. It appears to be a cistern they later use as a chapel.

 

Roman Forum

Below the road is the sprawling forum dating from the 2nd century A.D. The forum is along the Via Egnatia, bringing travelers to the administrative and commercial center. Shops surround a central square. On the east and west sides are the remains of temples.

Basilica B

The basilica, using pillars and building material from the Greek agora, dates from circa 550 A.D.  The architectural plan is similar to those of Hagia Sophia and Saint Irene in Constantinople, which it was to rival. Later, the Ottomans will call it the Direkler (Turkish for pillars). Unfortunately, the pillars do not support a heavy second dome, and the basilica collapses before they finish. They do not rebuild. The remaining sections give you an idea of the size of the original. Philippi will eventually have numerous churches, making it a pilgrimage site for early Christians.

Commercial Street

Running east-west between the Roman Forum and Basilica B (Greek Forum) is the remains of a commercial street. Walk east towards a covered area.

The Basilica of Paul.

The basilica is under a metal roof. It is not the first church in the city. That was a small building probably consisting of only a prayer-house. A mosaic on the floor identifies this structure as the Basilica of Paul, dating from circa 340 A.D. It is possibly sitting on the spot of the original church. They also call it the Octagonal Basilica.

Via Egnatia

If you could not find the portion in Kavala, here you can see a smaller section. It parallels the main road, which probably sits on top of it in many areas. This was the city’s main street, passing east to west, and is approximately in the middle of the ancient city. Similar to a “Main Street” when you pass through small towns.

Basilica C

Many people miss this unless they walk to the museum. West of Basilica A and above the main road, this basilica dates from circa late 5th-century. You can still see some of the marble flooring and sculptural decoration. It does not fare well during the massive earthquake early 6th-century. The narthex area becomes a cemetery. Several pieces from that are now outside the museum. Other pieces become building supplies for later construction.

Unfortunately, like all of Greece’s sites, they did not know what they were holding until it was too late. Greece does not start protecting its archeological sites until the 1830s. By then, many pieces are in foreign museums or supporting a farmhouse nearby. The Philippi collection is not large, but it is informative.

The lower (ground) floor contains archaeological artifacts from the Roman period and before. These include sculptures, inscriptions, vases, coins, and jewelry. The upper (first) floor includes items from the Christian period until the seventh century A.D. These include mosaics, inscriptions, architectural pieces, vases, and coins.

Further west, outside of the once western gate, is the small Zygaktis (stream) river. Many consider this the traditional spot where the Apostle Paul meets the ladies doing laundry, including Lydia. Therefore this is the location of the first European baptism (conversion) to Christianity. As this area is the closest the river (stream) comes to the city, it seems logical. Unfortunately, there is no concrete evidence. On the grounds, you can see the newer structures of a baptistry and the Center for Historical Studies. The festival of St. Lydia the Philippian takes place on May 20th.

Much of Philippi disappears in an earthquake circa 619 A.D., and the city never fully recovers. People move to Thessaloniki, Kavala, or other places still prosperous. By the end of the century, it is only a village.

We know from an inscription in Basilica B that circa 838, the Bulgarians took it for a military location. By 969 A.D., it is back in Byzantine control. The Emperor rebuilds the Acropolis fortifications and part of the city.  Circa 1077, with the Bulgarian threat at bay, the local Bishop oversees the rebuilding of additional defenses inside the city. Written reports from circa 1150 mention Philippi as a thriving center of business and wine production.

It will belong to the Franks, then Serbs, and Byzantines again before it drops off the radar, circa 1400. Reports from the 1500s mention there are no people, and the Turks are using it for building supplies.

Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site, Archaeological Site of Philippi.

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Amphipolis (Amfipoli)

There are minimal remains of this once active Athens colony dating from circa 465 B.C.

It was the site of the battle between Athens and Sparta, circa 442 B.C.

Alexander makes it his naval port circa 335 B.C., before launching his invasion of Asia. It was the home of three of Alexander’s finest admirals.

Next in line after Alexander’s death, Cassander jails Alexander’s wife Roxana and son Alexander IV in Amfipoli’s citadel. Later he poisons both of them.

Pyrgos Marmariou (Marble Tower)

Just after the turnoff to Amphipolis is the remains of a Byzantine tower. Its position offering excellent sightlines over the river and bridge below.

Amphipolis Archaeological Site.

There is not much remaining inside the Acropolis of Amphipolis. A few walls of a residence, with frescos, and foundations of churches.

Archaeological Museum of Amphipolis

The museum has two levels. The lower level focuses on Amphipolis from prehistoric to Byzantine times. There are statues, carvings, frescos, vases, coins, and more. Upstairs are artifacts from Eion, the ancient port of Amphipolis and Brea.

 

The Amphipolis Tomb at Kasta Hill

The discovery in 2012 and final excavations beginning in 2014 would rock the archeology world. It is the largest grave in Greece to date. Much larger than Philip II’s at Vergina. Is it the long-missing tomb of his son Alexander? Probably not, although many believe it could be. Unfortunately, they discover the tomb is not intact with further excavation, and precious pieces and clues are missing.

Circa 2019, they announce the site will open to the public possibly in 2020, then possibly 2021. This is Greece; my guess is sometime after 2022. As of now, you cannot see the mound from the main roads.

Although only 50 minutes away, it is better to stop on the way to – from Thessaloniki. When the tomb opens, that may all change.

Kavala Summary.

In the summer, you can find the clubs and beach bars popular with the younger crowd.

There are also smaller venues with live musicians and fewer amplifiers.

They light the fortress and the aqueduct at night, and people are out strolling.

Here you come to relax and soak up the Greek vibe.

A slower pace, traditional Greek food, and the hospitality of the locals.

Kavala makes a great base to discover the region.

And we did not mention the vineyards of Kavala and nearby Drama. That’s an adventure on its own.

Whatever your choice, Kavala has so many things to offer.

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