Philippi

Philippi (/fɪˈlɪpaɪ, ˈfɪləˌpaɪ/; Ancient Greek: Φίλιπποι, Phílippoi) was a major mainland Greek city northwest of the nearby island, Thasos. Its original name was Crenides (Ancient Greek: Κρηνῖδες, Krēnĩdes "Fountains"). The city was renamed by Philip II of Macedon in 356 BC and abandoned in the 14th century after the Ottoman conquest. The present village of Filippoi is located near the ruins of the ancient city within the modern city of Kavala, in turn a part of the administrative region of East Macedonia and Thrace. The archaeological site was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016 because of its exceptional Roman architecture, its urban layout as a smaller reflection of Rome itself, and its importance in early Christianity. Philippi is also the place where the legendary battle of Mark Antony and Octavian Caesar against Brutus and Cassius took place in 42 BC, as seen in William Shakespeare's famous play, Julius Caesar (1599).