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Photo: Schuppi, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
This monument of Caius Vibius is a 4 m high marble monolith, dating to the 1st century AD, near Krinides village. Two of its four sides bear an inscription, which refers to the career of the Roman officer Caius Vibius Quartus. The damage to the monument is said to have been a measure to stop the old habit of the pregnant women of the area to secretly rub themselves in an "immoral" way on the corners of the monument, believing that this would only give them male children. To stop this sinful and non-godly old habit, the corners of the monument were removed, putting an end to sins. This is not as unusual as it seems. The same was also true of the stones (menhir) of the megalithic cultures in Christian times. Here, too, the ladies snuggled up to the stones, believing in fertility.
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The archaeological site of Dikili Tash is mainly a prehistoric settlement, dating to the Neolithic period (6400-4000 BC) and the Bronze Age (3000-1100 BC). Remains from Hellenistic and Roman times also exist, however, and a Byzantine tower crowns its top. There is not really much to see and so more a place for archaeologists
The ruins of the basilica "extra muros", discovered in 1992, are located in Krinides 500m from the parking lot and are well worth a detour, as they originally belonged to the entire complex of Philippi. It was badly damaged by the Ostrogoths during the siege of Philippi in AD 473. It was finally destroyed in the first half of the 7th century due to a strong earthquake and in the 9th century by the Bulgarians when they occupied Philippi. Some graves have been found. It is believed that there have been cemeteries there since Roman times. Next to the basilica there is a nice café under the trees, where you can relax from a walk there.
The excavation site is a cemetery outside a basilica. The southern part of the basilica is cut off from the dirt road that runs through it and serves the neighboring fields. The graves in the church are impressive. They are underground, spacious with beautiful decoration, inscriptions, etc. They are in the shape of catacombs. There are also above-ground coffin-shaped tombs, vaulted roofs of the familiar type also found in the other northern cemetery basilica. Unfortunately, the area is not accessible, except through a hole in the wire mesh on the south side.
It was probably built by King Philip II in the middle of the 4th century BC and extensively redesigned and completed by the Romans in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, so that the function of the theater could meet the needs of the performances of the time. It has been partially restored, and is used in summer for theatre and musical performances. The view from the ranks over the ruins and Pangaion Hills in the background is fantastic.
It was a large, three-aisled basilica (130 x 50 m) with transept aisle on the east side, a square atrium, and a gallery over the aisles and the narthex (narrow, single-storey lobby at the main entrance). Fragments of the luxurious pavement and part of the ambo (pulpit) are preserved in the middle aisle. Particularly impressive are the frescoes that imitate orthostates (dados) in the porch of a chapel. Dated to the end of the 5th century AD.
The Acropolis, with its Late Byzantine tower, offers a wonderful view of Philippi and the surrounding countryside. This makes the somewhat arduous climb really worthwhile.