Adramyttium (Edremit)
Acts 27:2
Opposite (northeast) of the Island of Lesvos in the Aegean, the
remains of an ancient seaport have been identified in the modern
village of Karatas. The name is preserved in the harbor and a nearby
city of Edremit. The port has only scant excavation, but is properly
identified. The city had been prominent in Hellenistic times, but
was a declining and relatively unimportant city by the time of
journeys of St. Paul.
After St. Pauls appeal before Herod Agrippa II and Festus to state
his case to Caesar
in Rome, he was taken by a centurion of the Roman Imperial guard
(Acts 27:1) to the harbor at Caesarea, where they found a ship of
Adramyttium to convey them to Asia Minor. From Asia Minor, they
anticipated finding another ship to Rome (27:6).
The contrary winds at Cyprus (27:4) were likely a foreshadowing that
a Mediterranean storm was approaching. The storm system brought a
fierce North-Easter the wind that brought down the boat they caught
in Asia Minor, wrecking that ship.
The
boat of Adramyttium was probably on the way back to her homeport,
exchanging goods and passengers from Caesarea to Asia Minor, with
several stops along the Aegean coast. It was likely that the
Centurion Julius could find another boat to Rome from Asia Minor
Biblical Sites in Turkey List