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History of Kavala


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The city was founded by settlers from Thassos about at the end of the 7th century BC, who called it Neapolis. It was one of the colonies that the Thassians founded in the coastline, in order to take advantage of the rich gold and silver mines of the territory, especially the ones that were located to the nearby Pangaion mountain (which were eventually exploited by Phillip the Second of Macedonia).

The worship of "Parthenos", a female hellenised deity of the thracian goddess Vendis is archaeologically attested in the archaic period. At the end of the 6th century BC Neapolis claimed its independence from Thassos and cut its own silver coins with the head of Gorgo at the one side as a symbol. At the beginning of the 5th century BC a large ionic temple from thassian marble replaced the archaic one. Parts of it can now be seen in the archaeological museum of Kavala.

In 411 BC, during the Peloponnesian War, Neapolis was sieged by the allied armies of the Spartans and the Thassians, but remained faithful to Athens. Two athenian honorary decrees in 410 and 407 BC rewarded Neapolis for its loyalty.

Neapolis was a town of Macedonia, and the harbor of Philippi, from which it was distant 14 km. Neapolis was a member of the Athenian League, as a pillar found in Athens mentions a contribution of Neapolis to the alliance.

Roman Era

The military Roman road Via Egnatia passed through the city helped commerce to flourish. It became a Roman civitas in 168 BC, and was a base for Brutus and Cassius in 42 BC, before their defeat in the Battle of Philippi. (Appian, B.C. iv. 106; Dion Cass. xlvii. 35.). The Apostle Paul landed at Kavala on his first voyage to Europe (Acts, xvi. 11).

Byzantine Era

In the 6th century Byzantine emperor Justinian I fortified the city in an effort to protect it from barbaric raids. In later Byzantine times the city was called Christoupolis and belonged to the Theme_(Byzantine_district) of Macedonia
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