East Macedonia & Thrace
Art, History & Archaeology Sites & Museums
This page, part of our Greece Travel Guide, provides details of the art, archaeology and history sites, museums and related attractions to visit in the East Macedonia & Thrace administrative region. Readers wishing to visit these places will find visitor information, links to official websites as well as other helpful resources. The guide is produced by Thomas Dowson, an archaeologist and the founder of Archaeology Travel, who has been visiting Greece regularly since 1990, and is currently researching a comprehensive guidebook to Athens. Read more about the website, its authors and our work.
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Archaeology & History Sites in East Macedonia & Thrace
Kavala Aqueduct
As recently as 1911 the aqueduct was supplying the city of kavala with water from the nearby Mount Pangaeus. While some understandably jump to the conclusion that the aqueduct has a Roman origin, it is more probably Byzantine structure. During the 14th century a barrier wall was constructed during the fortifications built to protect the Kavala acropolis. Sometime in the early 1500s the wall was replaced with the arched aqueduct. And it still dominates certain parts of the city today.
Philippi Archaeological Site
The ancient city of Philippi is the most important archaeological site in East Macedonia. The location was chosen because of the precious metals in the area. Realising the economic and strategic importance of the area King Philip of Macedonia established a fortified city here in 365 BC. As a result of mining activities the city became wealthy and developed considerably until it was abandoned in the 14th century. It was here in 49 AD that Saint Paul built the first Christian church in Europe.
Sanctuary of the Great Gods - Palaiopolis
Palaiopolis is an important temple complex on the island of Samothrace. In ancient times it was one of a few principle pan-Hellenic religious sanctuaries. It was here that the so-called ‘Winged Victory of Samothrace’ was found, a 2.5 metre statue of Nike that has pride of place in the Louvre Museum in Paris. A nearby museum houses the many artefacts that have been excavated from the cemeteries and various sanctuaries and temples, as well as reconstructions of architectural features too fragile to remain on site.
Museums & Art Galleries in East Macedonia & Thrace
Kavala Archaeological Museum
Established in 1934, the archaeology museum in Kavala is perhaps the most important archaeological museums in eastern Macedonia. Typically for a local, regional museum, on permanent display here visitors will find artefacts from a range of prehistoric and ancient sites located in the Kavala regional unit. Although there are substantial collections of objects from Neapolis, which is the ancient town of Kavala, and Amphipolis even though the archaeological site is now in modern-day Central Macedonia.
