Diatichisma

The Diatichisma, a cross-wall of uncertain but likely early Byzantine date, runs for roughly 250 metres along the hill of Palia Pyli, east of Kavala and overlooking the modern Egnatia road. It consists of two parallel walls, each some 0.75 to 0.80 metres thick, enclosing a corridor between one and 1.5 metres wide. Surviving height varies from half a metre to 3.5 metres. At the northern end stand the remains of a rectangular tower, with a matching tower presumed lost at the southern extremity. No trace of a gate or southern wall survives. The structure is registered as the Cross-Wall of Akontisma, after the ancient town seven kilometres away, known as the last city of Macedonia to the east. Construction may date to the fourth or fifth century, when barbarian incursions troubled the eastern empire. Some 80 metres west stands a stout Ottoman-era tower, a later addition to this enigmatic barrier.