What is…
Apollonia
also known as: Apollonía
Ancient Greek: Ἀπολλωνία
This is the name of an ancient inland city of Macedonia located between Amphipolis and Thessalonica (Thessaloniki). It is located on the historic Via Egnatia road, about midway between those two cities.
The Via Egnatia was constructed by the Romans in the 2nd century BC to link a chain of Roman colonies stretching from the Adriatic Sea to the Bosphorus.
The road was used by the Apostle Paul on his second missionary journey as he traveled from Philippi to Thessalonica (Acts 16–17). It also played a vital role in several key moments in Roman history: the armies of Julius Caesar and Pompey marched along the Via Egnatia during Caesar’s civil war, and during the Liberators’ civil war Mark Antony and Octavian pursued Cassius and Brutus along the Via Egnatia to their fateful meeting at the Battle of Philippi.
“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
Apollonia is about 36 miles from Thessalonica. The total distance between Amphipolis to Thessalonica is about 61 miles (98 kilometers) a walking distance of about 23 hours.
Archaeology
The ruins of this Apollonia are located near the modern city of Néa Apollonía, Greece (Νέα Απολλωνία) — also known as simply Apollonia, in the Thessaloniki region of Greece.
In ancient times it was in the Mygdonia region of Macedon (Macedonia).