Despite the lack of relevant testimonies, there are some indications that lead
to the hypothesis of the existence here of a Roman settlement that would have
been administratively under the Roman colony of Fotiki. One such indication is
offered by the great strategic position of Filiati, from which one could control
the Roman road that led from Albanian territory to the Kalama valley.

The historical sources known to date do not allow us to determine either the founding
era of Filiat, nor the moment when they became the administrative center of the region
that stretches on the right bank of the Kalamas river, known as “Parakalamos”.

The British soldier William Martin Leake visited the region of Filiate in 1805.
According to his book “Travels in northern Greece”, Filiate was a semi-mountainous town,
near the Kalamas valley. At the time when Leek visited the town, the Muslim element
significantly prevailed while there were also a few Christians, who worked as artisans and merchants.

The city had about 2000 houses and many Islamic mosques. The houses were built
with care, had windows on all floors and there were several gardens with olive trees.
The town did not have a spring and the inhabitants got their water from the wells in the ravines.
The area around Filiates was particularly fertile and the inhabitants cultivated
wheat, olives, legumes, tobacco, grapes, while cattle breeding was also important.