The Lion of Amphipolis. Photographer: Dorin360. Licensed (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0)
The Lion of Amphipolis, reconstructed in the Fall of 1937.
Photographer: Dorin360. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED (image cropped).

What is…
Amphipolis

Meaning: city on both sides. Polis is the Greek word for city.

Ancient Greek: Ἀμφίπολις —transliteration: Amphipolis (the Romanized version of the name)

Amphipolis was a Macedonian city, a great Roman military station, through which Paul and Silas passed on their way from Philippi to Thessalonica, a distance of 33 Roman miles from Philippi (Acts 17:1). The Ignatia Way, an east-west Roman road, went through the city connecting it to Italy and Asia.

“Now when they [Paul and Silas] had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews” —Acts 17:1 KJV

The city is just north of the Aegean Sea, located on a terraced hill at a bend in the Stremones River (aka Struma, Strymon, or Strymónas), which drains into Lake Cercinitus. The river surrounded the city on three sides, with a wall protecting the fourth.

Region

The city was located in ancient Edonis (or Edonida), transliterated as Edonia, a region of Thrace. Today ancient Amphipolis is located in Greece.

Location of Amphipolis—satellite view
map from Amphipolis, Greece to Thessalonica
Road from Thessalonica to Apollonia to AMPHIPOLIS with walking time and distance shown—satellite view (click for Google Map)

Archaeology

Archaeologists have uncovered significant ancient buildings, a gymnasium, walls, columns, tombs, carved stone sphinxes, sculptures, ancient coins, pottery and more.

Article Version: March 13, 2024