PHILIPPI CIVITAS

Philippi has been selected by Roberto Amati in relation to the real history of european integration, then enlisted in the CITY OR CIVITAS category, accompanied by own fact SHEET useful to the comprehension, completed of historical MAPS AND IMAGES or with a direct linking to the related Blog contents dedicated to the entire history of european integration and the future of Europe.

Philippi is one of the most ancient cities of the history of European integration, signed in great part by Christianity. The Civitas Philippi was founded hundreds years ago at the foot of Mt. Lekan on the coast of the Aegean sea by Greeks people coming from the nearby Thasos island. Once conquered by Macedonians in IV century BC the city took the name of their king Philip II: elevated as strategic passage on the east-west route of the Macedonian kingdom and reinforced with important fortifications, Philippi was provided of authonomous institution to govern the neighbouring gold mines. When Romans conquered it remained a city-state (πόλις) with its walls, the Greek theatre, a little temple dedicated to a hero cult and the roman forum, conneceted with the Egnatia way starting from Constantinople and passing through the civitas of Amphipolis, Thessaloniki up to Durres on the Adriatic sea. They founded a colonia populated by the veteran soldiers of Legion XXVIII, reorganized with more settlers veterans (possibly from the Praetorian Guard) and other Italics, renamed Colonia Augusta Iulia Philippensis in 27 BC, when Octavian received the title Augustus from the Roman Senate.

Within the reform of Augustus (see Roman Empire), Philippi was included into the Macedonia province and reshaped as "miniature Rome" under the municipal law of the Urbs and governed by two military officers appointed directly from the empire capital. During the II century AD, Philippi was expanded to hold roman games and a new theatre and its prosperity grew more: so that was chosen by Saint Paul to found one of the first Christian community of all, whom was dedicated the first city church built around 343 AD. That was the reason why with the reform of Constantine I (see Christian Empire), Philippi became part of the Moesia Diocesis and was elevated as seat of a bishopric cause of its ancient christian community. So that the prosperity of the city in the 5th and 6th centuries AD grew up and many new ecclesiastical buildings were constructed at that time and seven different churches were built in Philippi. In the same epoch, the Empire rebuilt the fortifications of the city abke to reject the assaults of the Ostrogoths and the Slavs invasions, but the earthquake around 619 AD completely destroyed the city, never recovered... Since then, Philippi followed the history and destiny of Greece.

Nowadays in Philippi there are the ruins of the ancient polis of many Basilicas, the Forum and the entrance of the greek theatre, which are enlisted in the UNESCO Wordl Heritage, in the archeological site located in the Macedonia region.

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