Perge is one of several well-preserved Roman cities on the coast of Turkey. The most impressive remains in Perge are from the second century CE, therefore after St. Paul's visit. Among the colonnaded streets are a theater, agora, stadium and nymphaeum. The nearby ancient cities of Side and Aspendus are not mentioned in Paul's travels but are well preserved and excavated. Attalia is now a city of around 600,000 people, and is called Antalya. Perched on a rocky cliff over the harbor, the ancient city has been superceded by construction of later periods. The old quarter of the city has been restored, including a Gate of Hadrian and residences. The museum in Antalya contains exhibits on every period of development, from the Paleolithic age to the present. It holds sculpture and artifacts from the nearby Greco-Roman sites. In the mountains above Antalya, a side trip to the west leads to Termessos. The site is in a nature park, and a hike is required to reach the remains, which have not been cleared of overgrowth. Large sections of the road Paul would have traveled over the mountains to Antioch near Pisidia are also preserved.
Once on the upland plain, Antioch in Pisidia features some Roman period remains, including a triple arched gateway on the acropolis. Iconium has over the years been transformed into the modern city Konya, with a population of just under one million. It is a city of minarets and mosques, and was home to the thirteenth century mystic philosopher and theologian Mevlana, and the whirling dervishes. The archeological museum holds Roman period remains for the region, including an inscription from Lystra. The sites of Lystra and Derbe are no longer sites for visitors, but the site of Binbir Kilise, the "Thousand and One Churches," gives some insight to the legacy of St. Paul over the centuries. It was inhabited in the Roman period, but most of the churches date from the ninth century CE. In the same vein, the cones and cliffs of the Goreme valley provided shelter for recluses and refugees from the fourth century forward. Caves, churches, and houses are decorated with frescoes.
Leaving Antioch on his own, Paul traveled overland. He would have headed inland through Tarsus, and passed through the Cilician Gates, a narrow mountain pass on the only road through the mountains. This pass had been a key site in the invasions of the previous centuries, the scene of decisive action in the Persian conquest of the West, and then for Alexander's opposing drive to the East. After stopping at the congregations he had founded on his first mission  Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, Antioch near Pisidia-he continued across the plain into the western quarter of modern Turkey-called Asia Minor during the Roman period  to the town of Troas, the main hopping off point to cross over into Greece. The prospect of spreading his message into the cultural heart of the Mediterranean must have appealed to Paul. Though Greece had long since lost the commercial and military strength of earlier centuries, it was the birthplace of the architecture, language, mythology and philosophy that had permeated the entire East.
The first city on the Greek mainland where Paul stayed for any length of time was Philippi. With rich veins of gold and silver, the site had been a kind of gold rush town in the fourth century BCE-but it was also vulnerable to attack. In 356 BCE, the mines were seized by Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great, and he named the town after himself. The mines were rich enough to finance Philip's campaigns, as well as Alexander's first campaigns against the Persian Empire. But Philippi did not become a substantial settlement until it passed into Roman hands, and was included on the route of a new major road linking the Adriatic and Aegean Seas. Then, in 42 BCE, Philippi was thrust into the limelight. It was the site of one of the most significant battles in Roman history. Julius Caesar had been assassinated in 44 BCE, and the armies of his avengers lined up for a final showdown against the armies of his assassins. The avengers won: the Roman Republic was dead. Julius Caesar's adopted son Octavian  soon to become the first emperor Augustus  created a Roman colony on the site, both to commemorate the victory, and to provide land for retired soldiers. Roman military colonies were typically laid out on a grid pattern of streets, and the soldiers were given rectangular allotments of land called centuries.
Perhaps because he could locate no settled synagogue, Paul looked outside the city walls for a congregation. According to Acts, he found a group of women near the river, perhaps meeting for prayer, or gathering water, or doing the laundry. A woman named Lydia was receptive to his message. Acts says that she and her household were baptized. That she had a household  a phrase used to cover both a family and their dependents and slaves  indicates that she was probably prosperous. While in Greece, Paul would find that a number of prominent women would welcome his message, and it seems the patronage of influential women was an important support for the growth of the young congregations. As with many of the episodes included in Acts, modern scholars question the historical reliability of this story, as well as the conclusions drawn from it.
Whereas Paul had been run out of towns all across central Turkey, in Philippi his objectors brought him before the city magistrates. He was arrested and jailed. A Jew proclaiming a king other than Caesar was cause for concern. According to Acts, Paul made a surprising claim upon his release  that he was a Roman citizen. An individual of provincial ancestry could acquire Roman citizenship in very few ways: first, by imperial grant, a favor most likely bestowed on those with money or power; second, through military service; and third, through slavery and manumission. Slaves of Roman masters became Roman citizens upon manumission, and owners of slaves could set prices for slaves to buy their freedom. Slaves were allowed to own property, and owners often used the offer of manumission to ensure stability. With the hope of freedom in sight, slaves who did skilled labor could save their earnings and purchase their freedom and citizenship. Powerful individuals would often have slaves serving in key positions, as secretaries, advisors, and administrators. Consequently, some slaves could wield considerable influence, and amass great wealth. Freed slaves rarely rose through the ranks of the Roman hierarchy; though it was possible, social prejudices did impose restrictions. Paul's route to citizenship is unknown.
Paul would have left the main trade road to head south to Athens. Paul's letters make no mention of Athens, but the Book of Acts describes a visit in some detail. If Paul did visit Athens, he would have seen the Acropolis and its famous temples long before reaching the city, especially the colossal bronze statue of Athena in armor, her helmet and spear reflecting the sunlight like a beacon. Approaching the main city gates, he would have passed through the cemetery called the Kerameikos, which lined the road with a solemn procession of memorials to heroes and to the soldiers who had fallen in over six centuries of battles. Here too was the site of Plato's Academy, and the ruins of Athens' long walls, which had run over six miles from the city to the harbor at Peiraeos. The ruins of the walls were a reminder of the city's former naval prowess. And they were a bitter reminder of the ferocity with which Rome could punish dissenters. In 88 BCE, the Athenians had sided with an invading Eastern king and taken up arms against the Romans. The Romans seized the city in 86 BCE, destroyed the walls and held a lottery to assign the death penalty to one out of every ten rebels. In the struggles for control of the empire that consumed the Mediterranean throughout the first century BCE, Athens repeatedly chose the losing side. However, its cultural reputation saved the city from the kind of destruction Rome had visited on other insurgents like Carthage and Corinth.
By the time Paul reached Athens, its population was in decline, and it was no longer on the major routes by land or sea. The city was designated one of the free, self-governing cities in the Empire, though this was largely an honorary distinction, and in practice such cities were free to follow Roman orders. The city had become a kind of museum to its past, a school and display case for philosophy, oratory, art and architecture. Tourists and students came from around the Empire  guidebooks available to these ancient travelers have been preserved, and there is evidence that locals could serve as tour guides or sell souvenirs in the markets. Having passed through the city gates, Paul would have entered the ancient agora, and then the Roman forum  the markets which were the hub of city life. Here, in the shadow of the Acropolis, he found a perfect opportunity to get on his soapbox and debate his ideas with the intellectually curious Athenians. Although Acts paints a rather cartoonish picture of intellectual life in Athens, it was the birthplace of Epicureanism and Stoicism, two philosophical traditions popular in the Roman Empire. The main goal of Epicureanism was a happy life, to be achieved through the pursuit of pleasure, defined as the absence of pain. Epicureans did not believe in an afterlife, and maintained that death was not to be feared. They believed in the existence of gods, but did not believe that gods were involved in human affairs, or the physical world. Their views of death and the gods rested on atomist theories. Stoics, on the other hand, believed that the gods, or some creative force, did determine human reality, but that they could not be influenced by human action. The achievement of a happy life depended on an individual's use of reason to accept this reality. Stoics and Epicureans had their differences, but neither challenged the status quo. Brought before the city council on the Areopagos, Paul may have had high hopes of instigating the kind of social change for which the Areopagos was famous. This was the hillside court where, legend held, the trial of a matricide named Orestes gave birth to the system of trial by jury. Few Athenians were swayed by Paul's message, however, and he left the city for Corinth.
The city of Philippi is laid out along the Via Egnatia, large sections of which still survive. The site gives a clear impression of the layout of a Roman colony, with a forum, theater, and baths. The site also illustrates how building materials were commonly reused over the years as city priorities shifted. Sections of a market and palaestra were recycled into a sixth century Basilica, and the pre-Roman acropolis is fortified with medieval walls. There is also a small structure called "St.Paul's Prison."
Modern Thessaloniki is a city of around 400,000 residents. The Via Egnatia runs through the city center, and the grid pattern of the modern city dates from the Roman period as well. Excavations include a forum and theater. The many churches of Thessaloniki demonstrate the various fortunes of Christian sects over the centuries. Monuments to the third century emperor Galerius include the Arch of Galerius and his palace. Relevant museums include the Archeological Museum, the Museum of Byzantine Culture, and the Thessaloniki Center of Jewish Historical Culture.