The byzantine fortress in Petropigi
In Petropigi the preserved walls of a Byzantine fortification construction with dimensions of about 29mx29m can be seen. It is what remains of an outpost of the Via Egnatia (ancient Egnatia Road), built in the 10th century and completed in the 13th-14th century (late Byzantine period). The towers in the south-east and north-west corners of the fortress date from this period. It continued to be used until the early Turkish occupation in the 15th and 16th centuries for the same purpose.
At the point where the Kavala-Xanthi national road is located today, Via Egnatia must have passed through, so the outpost controlled the passage and functioned exclusively as a station. The excavations carried out by the Norwegian Institute of Athens (1993-2002) found no remains of habitation from any phase of use of the building. Inside the fortress, ruins of other buildings such as stables, a guest house and a blacksmith's shop were found. At the end of the 16th century the building ceased to function and part of its materials must have been used for other constructions.
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