Bible Synapse
Laodicea on the Lycus
Site · c. 261–253 BC to the early 7th century AD · The early church · also called Laodicea, Laodikeia
See it on the map and timeline
- Date
- c. 261–253 BC to the early 7th century AD (the city, from its founding to its abandonment)
- Found
- Eskihisar, near Denizli, Turkey. Excavated since 2003 by Pamukkale University under Celal Şimşek, on behalf of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The large Laodikeia Church was found in 2010.
- Now
- At the site, Denizli, Turkey
- Passages
- Colossians 2:1, Colossians 4:13–16, Revelation 1:11, Revelation 3:14–22
What it is
A rich city of the Lycus valley, founded by the Seleucid king Antiochus II in the mid-3rd century BC and abandoned after an earthquake in the early 7th century AD. It prospered on trade and finance and on cloth woven from the soft black wool of local sheep. Excavations have uncovered colonnaded streets, two theatres, a large stadium, temples and several churches, among them a large basilica of the early 4th century, and a water system that brought water in stone and clay pipes from springs about 8 km to the south.
How it connects to the Bible
Colossians mentions the believers at Laodicea and a letter to be read there (Col 2:1; 4:13–16). In Revelation (3:14–22) the church boasts, “I am rich, and increased with goods”, which many readers set beside the city's wealth: Tacitus records that when an earthquake ruined Laodicea in AD 60 it recovered from its own resources without help from Rome. The letter also calls the church lukewarm, and many commentators compare the lime-laden water piped into the city with the hot springs of nearby Hierapolis and the cold water of Colossae.
What scholars debate
The water reading is popular but not certain; older interpreters took hot and cold simply as zeal and hostility.