Editing Philippi (section)

===Foundation===
[[Thasos|Thasian]] colonists established a settlement at Crenides in [[Thrace]] in 360/359 BC near the head of the [[Aegean Sea]] at the foot of [[Slavyanka (mountain)|Mt. Orbelos]], now called Mt. Lekani, about {{convert|13|km|abbr=on}} north-west of [[Kavala]], on the northern border of the marsh that, in antiquity, covered the entire plain separating it from the [[Pangaion Hills]] to the south.{{citation needed|date=November 2015}} In 356 BC, King [[Philip II of Macedon]] conquered the city and renamed it to Philippi.

[[File:Ancient theatre - Philippi.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The ancient theatre]]
[[File:Theater of Philippi - 2.jpg|thumb|200px|West [[parodos]] of the theatre]]
[[File:Relief decorations, Ancient Theatre, built by Philip II in the 4th century BC and later reconstructed by the Romans, Philippi (7272260946).jpg|thumb|200px|Relief decorations by Philip II (4th century BC)]]

The [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedonian]] conquerors of the town aimed to take control of the neighbouring gold mines and to establish a garrison at a strategic passage: the site controlled the route between [[Amphipolis]] and [[Kavala|Neapolis]], part of the great royal route which runs east-west across Macedonia which the [[Roman Republic]] reconstructed in the 2nd century BC as part of the ''[[Via Egnatia]]''. Philip II endowed the city with important fortifications, which partially blocked the passage between the swamp and Mt. Orbelos, and sent colonists to occupy it. Philip also had the marsh partially drained, as the writer [[Theophrastus]] ({{circa}} 371 – {{circa}} 287 BC) attests. Philippi preserved its autonomy within the kingdom of Macedon and had its own political institutions (the ''[[ecclesia (ancient Athens)|Assembly]]'' of the ''[[Glossary of rhetorical terms#Demos|demos]]''). The discovery of new gold mines near the city, at Asyla, contributed to the wealth of the kingdom and Philip established a mint there. The city became fully integrated into the kingdom during the last years of the reign (221 to 179 BC) of [[Philip V of Macedon]] or the reign of [[Perseus of Macedon]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Hatzopoulos |first1= Miltiade |language=fr |date= 1993 |title= Décret pour un bienfaiteur de la cité de Philippes |url= https://www.persee.fr/doc/bch_0007-4217_1993_num_117_1_1682|journal= Bulletin de correspondance hellénique |volume= 117|issue= |pages= 315–326 |doi= 10.3406/bch.1993.1682|access-date=}}</ref>

When the Romans destroyed the [[Antigonid dynasty]] of Macedon in the [[Third Macedonian War]] (168 BC), they divided the kingdom into four separate states (''merides''). [[Amphipolis]] (rather than Philippi) became the capital of the eastern Macedonian state.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Philippi – Smart Travel|url=https://www.smarttravelapp.com/poi/9304/Philippi.html|access-date=5 December 2020|website=Philippi – Smart Travel}}</ref>

Almost nothing is known about the city in this period, but archeological remains include walls, the [[Greek theatre]], the foundations of a house under the [[Roman Forum, Philippi|Roman forum]] and a little temple dedicated to a [[hero cult]]. This monument covers the tomb of a certain Exekestos, is possibly situated on the [[agora]] and is dedicated to the κτίστης (''ktístēs''), the foundation hero of the city.{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}