Thessalonica

Chief city of Macedonia and the seat of Roman administration in the century before Christ. In addition to having a magnificent harbor, Thessalonica had the good fortune of being located on the overland route from Italy to the East. This famous highway, called the Egnatian Way, ran directly through the city. Two Roman arches, the Vardar Gate and the Arch of Galerius, marked the western and eastern boundaries.

According to Strabo, a famous Greek geographer, Thessalonica was founded in 315 BC by the Macedonian general Cassander, who named it after his wife, the daughter of Philip and stepsister of Alexander the Great. It was settled by refugees from a large number of towns in the same region, which had been destroyed in war. When Macedonia was divided into four districts (167 BC), Thessalonica was made the capital of the second division. Its influence continued to expand when the area became a Roman province. In the second civil war between Caesar and Pompey (42 BC), Thessalonica remained loyal to Antony and Octavian and was rewarded by receiving the status of a free city. This gift of autonomy allowed the city to appoint its own magistrates, who were given the unusual title of politarchs. The historical accuracy of Luke is seen in the fact that while the term “politarch” does not appear in earlier Greek literature, it is used in Acts 17:6–8 and has been found on an inscription on the Vardar Gate and in other inscriptions from the area. At the beginning of the first century, Thessalonica had a council of five politarchs. Cicero, a Roman statesman who lived shortly before the time of Christ, spent seven months in exile at Thessalonica.