Amphipolis lies near the mouth of the river Strymon, 60km west of Kavala. This ancient Macedonian city was a major Greek stronghold and in Roman times an important staging-point on the Via Egnatia, the great highway running from the Adriatic to Constantinople. The most striking monument is an impressive stone lion dating back to the Hellenistic period, which stands outside the ancient city, immediately west of the bridge over the Strymon.