Final Locations in Greece

From February 2017 our service as Salvation Army officers took us to South Africa. This meant no more involvement in official study tours, but it did place us closer to the Mediterranean world of Paul. The cheaper cost of 'getting there' encouraged us to make a trip to mop up the last unvisited locations in Greece, that remained on my list: Mytilene, Chios, Samothrace and Nicopolis.

An itinerary covering these places was always going to be a bit messy. Mitylene and Chios are connected by regular ferry services, and by air, but Samothrace is accessible only by ferry from Alexandroupolis. Nicopolis is in western Greece, a long way from any of the other sites. The itinerary we settled on made it possible to have a closer look at Apollonia and Amphipolis, and also to visit Erythrae.

Of course, Athens was our gateway and having rushed to buy cheap air tickets ("Offer ends soon!") we book-ended our trip with one night stays in Athens. This gave us some space to plan further, especially as we waited for new season ferry schedules, and ensured we would have opportunity to take in more of the sights of Athens. 

Above left: The propylaea (monumental gateway) of the Acropolis of Athens from Mars Hill. (Note the Temple of Athena Nike on the prominence to the right). Above right: The standing portions of the Temple of Olympian Zeus, with the acropolis between.

Below left: The Acropolis of Athens from beside the Temple of Hephaestus. Note the Stoa of Attalos at left. Below right: A moment of contemplation in the Stoa of Attalos.

Photos: 1 Jun 2019

Sunday we explored the Kerameikos (ceramic works, cemeteries & tomb monuments, and the remnants of one of the most significant gates into the ancient city of Athens) before visiting Hadrian's Library and the Roman Forum, including the impressive Tower of Winds.

We also took the time to visit Agia Triada (Church of the Holy Trinity) adjacent to the Kerameikos site. I had taken an interest in Rublev's icon of the Trinity after the 2010 official tour, so it was what I had come to expect of Agia Triada. Instead, we found multiple examples of a different icon (New Testament Icon of the Trinity) which I had never noticed before. I later learned that this icon is controversial within Eastern Orthodoxy. Apparently, since at least the 8th century (though this particular icon is much later), depictions of God the Father have been considered inappropriate. Obviously, this particular Church of the Holy Trinity is OK with it!

Above left: Looking across the Kerameikos archaeological site, with the acropolis as backdrop. Above right: The so-called 'New Testament icon of the trinity' in Agia Triada, adjacent to the Kerameikos archaeological site.

Below left: Columns of the Roman Forum of Athens with the Tower of Winds behind. Below right: Interior of the roof of the Tower of Winds - 24 self-supporting stone sectors, with their central 'keystone'.

Photos: 2 Jun 2019

Sunday afternoon we returned to the hotel for our bags, caught the Metro to Piraeus and found our way to our ferry. The free bus service around the harbour area dropped us by the Nissos Rodos just as they were accepting passengers on board - perfect timing - so we were spared a hot wait in the sun. We boarded immediately and settled in for the overnight journey to Mytilene. New sights awaited us in the morning.

Above left: Submerged remnants of the 'mole' of the north harbour at Mitylene - Paul probably entered this harbour. Above right: Remains of the Roman harbour of Mitylene .

Below left: St Paul memorial chapel at the north harbour of Mitylene . Below right: The mosaic on the exterior of the chapel depicts Paul standing on a map of the island of Lesvos. Mitylene is represented by the column at the lower right. Bottom left: View from the top of the Theatre of Mitylene . Note Turkey in the background, beyond our ferry waiting for its evening departure for Piraeus.

Photos: 3 Jun 2019

The second day, Tuesday, we gave the 'socks' a rest and hired a scooter to tour some sights on the island. As we headed out of town, searching for a petrol station to fill the scooter, Suzanne noticed that the small chapel we had visited the day before, was open. As it turned out, it was full of worshippers, with an Orthodox liturgy in progress, so I started to discretely withdraw.

Before I left the site, however, people started exiting (eating what I initially thought was consecrated bread, but turned out to be cake!) so I waited. When the space was nearly clear I ventured inside. As a relatively new chapel the frescoes depicting scenes from Paul's life and ministry were fresh and vivid. A few worshippers remained in the relatively small space in front of the iconostasis, so I didn't stay too long for photographs.

One of the worshippers even gave me some cake! (We ate it very reverently,... just in case!)

Once we were finally 'on the road' we headed off to find sections of the Roman aqueduct. We had coordinates for three different locations but only one of them turned out to be accessible. The second must have been over a ridge on private property and the third required a three hour walk!

After that our journey took us to the Ancient Sanctuary of Messa, to be greeted by a sign that read "Open daily, except Tuesdays!" We had to content ourselves with some photographs through the fence and a sandwich in the shade before riding on.

Following lunch, we made our way north, via the Kremasti Bridge, a delightful relic of the period of Genoese rule on Lesvos (1355-1462). Its single arch reminded me of the Ottoman bridge we had seen at Behramkale (Assos) on previous study tours. (Refreshing my memory later, from photographs, highlighted both similarities and differences.)

Above left: An arcaded bridge portion of the aqueduct of Mitylene . Above right: The (inaccessible to us) Sanctuary of Messa.

Below left: The Kremastis bridge of Genoese construction, in north central Lesvos and, for comparison,... Below right: The Ottoman bridge outside Behramkale (Assos).

Photos: 4 Jun 2019 (Behramkale bridge, 8 Jun 2012)

From there we pressed on to Skala Sikamineas, a beach town that maps seemed to indicate was opposite Assos. Having seen Lesvos from the acropolis of Assos on previous study tours, I had vague hopes of being able to spot Assos from Lesvos! We kept to the road high above the coast, past the turn off to the beach for a little while, hoping for a glimpse of Assos. While the southern coast of the Biga Peninsula (The Troad) was clearly visible, it was shaded by intermittent clouds making it difficult to pick out any detail.

We headed down to the beach and sat for a while scouring the opposite coast. I picked out a hill that 'could be' the acropolis of Assos and waited for a break in the shifting clouds to light it up. I really was not sure what I had captured until I was able to magnify the photo later but was very pleased with the result.

The other fascinating feature of Skala Sikimineas is the small chapel dedicated to the Panagia Gorgona (Virgin Mary the Mermaid), apparently the patroness of fishermen! Who knew? We could only see the top of the fresco behind the iconostasis so cannot confirm the depiction below the waist!

Above left: The acropolis of Assos from Skala Sikamineas. Above right: Across the quaint fishing harbour of Skala Sikamineas to the Panagia Gorgona, a chapel in honour of the patroness of fishermen, Madonna the Mermaid!

Photos: 4 Jun 2019 

Our ferry for Chios departed on Wednesday evening which gave us the opportunity to visit the Archaeological Museum and the Castle of Mitylene before bidding farewell to Lesvos.

The museum has some wonderful mosaics and, while the staff argued with each other about whether photography with a tripod (no flash) was allowed, I quietly got on with capturing a few images!

Although there is no real connection between Paul and the castle, it is a fascinating addition to any 'biblical' tour: it is a mixture of remains from periods of Greek, Roman, Early Christian, Genoese and Ottoman influence and domination. Making sense of the site is not made any easier by the map, provided (but only if you ask) at the entrance, having no numbers connecting features to the map key! Although numbers have been hand written on the fixed signboard, with the same map, near the entrance.

Above left: Mosaic in the Archaeological Museum of Mitylene , believed to be a personification of the Euripus - the channel which connected the north and south harbours of Mitylene in antiquity. In the corners are representations of the four seasons. Above right: The castle of Mitylene from the site of the theatre.

Photos: 5 Jun 2019

After that it was time to find a bit of shade, a place to paddle in the refreshing waters of the Aegean, and wait for our ferry.

Above left: Looking down the narrow alley giving access to Agioi Apostoloi (Church of the Holy Apostles). Above centre: Elaborate decoration of almost every architectural surface in Pyrgi. Above right: Classic Greek windmills just north of Chios town.

Photos: 6 Jun 2019

The next day I visited Erythrae while Suzanne enjoyed a more relaxed day of sightseeing, shopping and swimming in Chios.

After the 90 minute ferry journey to Çeşme, I found my way to Ildır, a small village about 20km east, using the local public transport, a dolmuş. Google Maps has a pin mark identifying "Erythrae archaeological ruins", on the southern edge of the town, but the main site worth visiting is the acropolis, a short walk from where the dolmuş route terminates, outside the mosque.

I wandered up through the town to visit the acropolis, taking in the theatre, the 8thC BC Temple of Athena and a later Christian building, the Matrone Church.

There is a panoramic view from the acropolis from where it is possible to see the island of Chios although, by my reckoning, the harbour town itself is obscured by the peninsula north of Çeşme. The view over Ildır, itself, is very picturesque.

Above left: The dolmuş, a very popular means of public transport in Turkey. This one took me from Çeşme to Ildır (Erythrae). Above centre: A small intact section of seating in the cavea of the theatre of Erythrae. Above right: Looking down on the picturesque town of Ildır from the acropolis of Erythrae.

Photos: 7 Jun 2019

The next day we had an early departure, relocating to the Macedonia region of Northern Greece: there is a long history of dispute and discussion over the name 'Macedonia', so I have phrased that carefully! Our intention to visit Samothrace required a ferry journey from Alexandroupolis and getting there created the opportunity to have a closer look at some sites we had visited, or just passed through, before. 

Above left: Memorial plaque in honour of Paul's visit to Apollonia - note the top of the small chapel behind the mound and (possibly) the remains of a small section of the via Egnatia, exposed in the foreground. Above right: Across the colourful fields to Lake Volvi, near Apollonia. Paul's route took him past views like this.

Photos: 8 Jun 2019

From Apollonia we drove on to the Archaeological Museum of Amphipolis. The museum tells the history of human occupation of the surrounding area very well and contains some wonderful objects from various phases of history unearthed over a long period of archaeological research. It is well worth a visit.

Google Maps identifies the location of the archaeological site and Street View even allows you to see what it looks like when the gate is open. Unfortunately, when we arrived, the gate was locked, even though the sign indicated we were there during opening hours! We retraced our steps to the museum where we were told that the site was closed while further archaeological activity is under way.

All that was left to do was retreat over the road to the café for a cuppa! Such is the abundance of exposed history in Greece, that even when we thought we were just getting afternoon tea, the proprietor proudly directed our attention across the valley to a view of the famous Kasta Tomb mound, the source of some of the objects we had seen in the museum.

The Kasta mound was first excavated in 1964, but an ancient Macedonian tomb, inside the mound and known as the Kasta Tomb, was only discovered in 2012, and first entered in 2014. Archaeologists have speculated that it may have been built in honour of Hephaestion, the close companion of Alexander the Great.

Above left: A wreath of gold leaves in the Archaeological Museum of Amphipolis. "Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one." 1 Cor. 9:25 (NRSV) Above centre: Fragment of a fresco of the crucifixion from a 12th century church in Amphipolis. Above right: The Kasta mound, at Amphipolis.

Photos: 8 Jun 2019

We then made our way to Kavala to settle in and prepare for an early start the next day.

Above left: Columns of the Hieron temple structure at the Sanctuary of the Great Gods, viewed from the top of the small theatre. Above right: The 'Theatrical Circle' where initiates into the mystery cult were first brought after entering the Sanctuary complex. 

Below: The elaborate memorial to St Paul on Samothrace. The central panel bears the text of Acts 16:11 in multiple languages. (See below for details of the mosaics on either side.)

Photos: 9 Jun 2019

Above left: Paul, in Alexandria Troas, is called to ministry in Macedonia (Acts 16:8-10). The island of Samothrace is depicted in the centre, with the 'young man' standing on mainland Greece. Above right: Paul's ship arrives at Samothrace.

Below left: Paul shares the good news with the people of Samothrace. Perhaps this is intended to depict Paul speaking at the small theatre at the Sanctuary of the Great Gods? Below right: Paul is sent on his way, to Neapolis, and the gospel advances from Asia into Europe...

Photos: 9 Jun 2019

After our visits to these two contrasting sites we headed back to Kamariotissa for some fuel: lunch for ourselves and petrol for the scooter.

By the time we had tended to these matters, and Suzanne had had a bit of a paddle in the bay, the weather was beginning to change dramatically. We had a perfect view as an impressive electrical storm, with some very heavy rain, moved in from the east and gave the small harbour town a serious pummeling! Its timing was impeccable as we were near to some convenient shelter as it began and it passed by just in time for us to board the ferry for our return journey.

Above left: A section of the via Egnatia, from Neapolis (Acts 16:11, modern Kavala) descending towards the plain of Philippi (Acts 16:12-40). Above right: The small fountain shrine alongside the via Egnatia between Neapolis and Philippi.

Photos: 10 Jun 2019

At Philippi we, again, crossed paths with our New Zealand colleagues as they completed their tour of the site. It was good to spend a little more time with Majors David and Vyvyenne Noakes and to sense the excitement and interest of the group as they were introduced to the Paul mosaic of Bishop Porphyrios.

After we had said our final farewells we had time to wander more slowly through the ruins of the ancient city and to observe some of the restoration work that is continuing, particularly around the 6thC Basilica B. While Suzanne found a restful place in the shade I set off to find the path to the acropolis, which begins above Basilica C and very close to the archaeological museum. I was warned, at both the entry gate and the museum, about the rough, overgrown, nature of the track and about the snakes I was likely to encounter on the way!

As it turned out the track was no more difficult than might be required to access a good New Zealand trout stream and while I heard a bit of rustling in one or two bushes, the only glimpse of tail disappearing into a shrub might just as well have belonged to a lizard as a snake. Who knows? The walk to the top took about 40 minutes and the views over the plain of Philippi, the archaeological site, and the Baptistery of Lydia were well worth the effort. 

A bonus of seeking out the acropolis track was that it took me in the direction of the Archaeological Museum of Philippi, which had never featured in our previous visits. Entry was included in the site ticket so, after descending from the acropolis, I found Suzanne and we added a visit to the museum to our itinerary. There were a number of interesting objects, including what we presume is the original of the Porphyrios mosaic.

Above left: Looking across the Roman forum of Philippi to the acropolis behind. Above right: Looking down on the archaeological site from the acropolis of Philippi.

Photos: 10 Jun 2019

The Baptistery of Lydia is an exquisite example of modern Greek Orthodox architecture and 'devotional art'. There are many delightful frescoes and mosaics covering almost every surface of the interior, the porch and the exterior portico. The sign above a donation box seeking contributions to help complete the Baptistery almost makes you wonder what else can be added.

In 2008, when I first visited the Baptistery, I was quite taken by the mosaics depicting significant figures from the early Church, partly because using my basic introduction to New Testament Greek, I was able to make out many of the names. Our guide was able to help me with other saints with whom I was wholly unfamiliar.

I had a better camera on subsequent visits but never the time to make full use of it. On this occasion there was no rush and I had come armed with a tripod as well. It was good to have another go at capturing the wall mosaics but also the mosaic map of Paul and Silas' 'second missionary journey' fully covering the floor of porch of the baptistery. There is so much decoration above the eye-line, I have sometimes wondered how many people miss the floor entirely!

Above: Mosaic, on the floor of the porch of the Baptistery of Lydia, depicting Paul and Silas' 'second missionary journey'. It is interesting to note that it depicts them travelling from Antioch to Troas via Ephesus. The biblical account (Acts 15:38, 16:1ff) indicates that their outbound journey was further north, revisiting Derbe and Lystra (and probably Iconium and Pisidian Antioch) before being guided by the Holy Spirit to Alexandria Troas. This is my attempt to fix parallax distortion and stitch together three photographs, one taken through the each of the double doors of the porch of the baptistery. Note the colourful spill from one of the stained glass windows inside the baptistery proper!)

Below: Manipulated images (fixing parallax etc) of mosaics from the walls of the baptistery. So far,... Timothy and Epaphroditus. (More to come... in time...?)

Photos: 10 Jun 2019

We finished with a late lunch under a gazebo outside the Baptistery, just as another thunderstorm joined our excursion and the heavens opened while we had convenient shelter. More good timing! After that it was back to the hotel to make ready to relocate, the following day, to visit our last location, for this trip - Nicopolis.

Above left: A new (to us) memorial to St Paul on the slopes above the archaeological site of Corinth. It stands in the garden of a church (still being completed on the day of our visit) with Acrocorinth for its backdrop. Above right: From left to right the mosaic depicts Paul being 'opposed' and 'abused' by the Jews of Corinth (Acts 18:5-6); encouragement from the Lord, in a dream, to continue speaking without fear (Acts 18:9-10); and Paul's continued ministry in Corinth for a further 18 months (Acts 18:11). 

Below left: The diolokos, an ancient attempt to avoid the long sea journey around the Peloponnese. Ships were unloaded and de-rigged on one side of the Isthmus of Corinth and, while the cargo and rigging were moved across the isthmus by conventional land transport, the hull of the ship was loaded onto a wooden 'dolly' and rolled the approximately 8km to the other side, on what has been described as a primitive stone 'railway' system. Below right: A modern connection between the Peloponnese and mainland Greece: the Charilaos Trikoupis Bridge.

Photos: 11 Jun 2019

We based ourselves at Kastrosikia Beach, from which it was a short drive to the city of Nicopolis and its related archaeological museum.

What remains of Nicopolis is scattered over quite a wide area, disconnected locations dotted among the fields, roads and dwellings of the modern landscape. We first made our way to the theatre and the adjacent stadium. The stadium is heavily overgrown and the theater has lost much of its former glory. Visiting the theatre in any location always makes me feel like I have 'been there'. This, too, is crumbling. Over the years it has been plundered for building materials to be used elsewhere, even if it was just as a source of lime for mortar, as is indicated by the three lime kilns inside the structure! There was active archaeological work going on at the theatre and it was not possible to enter the site, although I did take the opportunity to walk all the way around the perimeter fence.

From there we made our way up through the small town, which retains the name Nicopolis, to the Victory Monument that Augustus established above the ancient city. The 'foundations' of the monument remain but nothing of the standing structure, which honoured Mars (god of war), Neptune (god to the sea) and Apollo (Octavian's patron god) is intact. A collection of blocks bearing portions of the memorial inscription are lined up along the front of the site. The inscription read:

“The Emperor Caesar, son of the Divine, victor in the war he waged on behalf of the Republic in this region,when he was consul for the fifth time and imperator for the seventh, after peace and has been secured on land and sea, consecrated to Mars (Ares) and Neptune (Poseidon) the camp from which he set to battle, adorned with naval spoils”. 

The naval spoils referred to were 36 bronze rams from the prows of the defeated fleet of Antony and Cleopatra. None of these trophies of war have been located.

Above left: Nicopolis theatre from outside the archaeologist's perimeter fence. Above right: The overgrown interior of the stadium of Nicopolis.

Photos: 12 June 2019

Our next stop was the Archaeological Museum of Nicopolis with its extensive collection of artefacts documenting the history of the city, through a series of galleries arranged in chronological order. After a brief stop for supplies at a local supermarket we made our way to the city walls. We began by walking around the southern boundary of the site and turned north along the eastern wall to locate the odeon. We shouldn't have been surprised that the odeon was 'closed' and the gate locked! All that was possible was taking a few photographs through, and over, the fence. After that we called it a day and headed to the beach to freshen up.

Above left: This Roman pedestal (1st - 2nd century AD), in the archaeological museum, was decorated with carved reliefs depicting a battle of the Amazons (right side). By the 6th century, Christian attempts to efface the pagan past had plastered over the reliefs and replaced them with, presumably more edifying, religious mosaics (centre). Above right: The Odeon of Nicopolis. The cavea has concrete seats faced with brickwork, rather than the stone or marble seating to be seen in other places. 

Photos: 12 Jun 2019

The plan for the next day was to retrace our steps to Athens but a pamphlet we had picked up prompted a bit more internet research which garnered some coordinates for a portion of the aqueduct of Nicopolis. So, after a relaxed start to the day we took a very enjoyable short detour, into the hills above Nicopolis, before hitting the road back to Athens.

Nicopolis' water supply arrived in town via a 50km delivery system, with a fall of about 80m over that distance. Water from the springs at Agios Georgios was collected in a reservoir, then a controlled flow directed into an enclosed channel with plastered walls. Much of its length simply follows contours of the hills, but crossing valleys required 'arcade' bridges while one section, of approximately 5km runs underground. This tunnel section was complete with inspection shafts at regular intervals.

Above left: Twin arcade bridges of the Nicopolis aqueduct, not far from Agios Georgios. Unlike the arcade at Mytilene, these are constructed almost entirely of brick. Above right: A section of the channel hugging the contour of the hill not far from Agios Georgios. Note the intact portion of 'roof': the entire length of the aqueduct would have been enclosed in this way.

Photos: 13 Jun 2019

Athens

We retraced our route back to Athens without any further stops. The remainder of the day was filled with souvenir shopping, eating, resting and pre-packing for departure the next day. We had one last night, for this journey anyway, under the beautiful acropolis of Athens.

A public transport strike on the day of departure altered our plans for getting to the airport, but it was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. The journey home was safe and uneventful giving us ample opportunity to reflect on the blessings we had enjoyed, once again, travelling in the footsteps of St Paul.