Kavala has
always been an important port on the Balkan Peninsula.
Neapolis - Christoupolis - Kavala are its historical names.
It has been
inhabited since the Neolithic age.
In the 7th century BC it was a Thassian colony called Neapolis
and later it joined the Athenian Alliance.
It gains great
prosperity during the Macedonian rule, after Philip II has annexed
it, its harbor serving Filippi.
The
Romans upgraded the major commercial port by having Via Egnatia
run through it but at the same time it was made the target of
Goth and Hun raids.
Apostle Paul
comes to Neapoli to preach the Christian faith in Europe.
Byzantine
times, when the town was given the name "Christoupolis"
as a prosperous period; however, Normand ravages and Turkish occupation
put an abrupt end to it.
The important
monuments of the old aqueduct, nowadays known as Kamares, dates
from that period.
From one arched gate to the other, centuries put on a new face.
Liberated
in the early twentieth century, international centre of tobacco
trade and hub of cultural activity, Kavala gains greater prosperity
thanks to the Greek refugees from Asia Minor.
Kavala' s
course through history is alive at every step you take.
In the Archaeological
Museum of Kavala, there are unique exhibits, such as remains of
Athena Parthenon' s Temple and other exhibits from the whole region,
namely from, Yssimi, Galypsos, Dikili, Tas, Nikissiani and Avdira.