Paul’s escape to Athens… by sea? The ancient ports of Pydna and Methoni, Greece
“Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there…” Acts 17:14
When St Paul and Silas were forced to flee to Berea from Thessaloniki, the Thessaloniki Jews quickly followed and caused trouble. The Bible tells us that Paul and Silas needed to leave Berea and that they went “to the sea”. The Bible does not tell us whether Paul’s journey to Athens was by sea or by land. Most suppose that it was by sea, and a logical port for departure would have Pydna, and possibly but less likely the smaller port of Methoni.
The archeological site of Pydna was an enjoyable treasure hunt. It was interesting to spot the spolia used in the city walls and structures as we walked the site. The main fortress closest to the sea is a byzantine era basilica converted to a castle in 1200’s AD by the crusaders. There is a 22 meter deep well and a cistern visible. We’ve read that there is also a deep corridor in the same area to allow the inhabitants of the castle to escape to the sea. A structure in the apse, which we thought might have some sort of religious purpose, is actually a Fryktoria - a device to exchange light signals with the neighboring peninsula via torches.
There are also much older findings at the site - including stretches of city wall from the Roman era. There are olive presses and wine presses visible in the piles of remains. The northern wall has incorporated an ancient human figure lying on its side. From the air, the outline of the roughly square city walls is visible. North of the city is a necropolis with thousands of graves from 1400 BC to the 3rd century BC. Across the road from the archeological site, to the west, are the remains of an ancient city gate.
The site is quite a jumble of findings and left our amateur heads puzzled! We were shown around by a very friendly caretaker? Archeologist? History buff? We had a little bit of a language barrier but he seems to watch over the site and was able to point out interesting remains.
We’ve also included some pictures from the memorial to St Paul at Methoni, which is another nearby, smaller ancient port and potentially an option for Paul’s escape to Athens.
Pydna, Greece
