LANDS AND PLACES
The city of Laodicea, named after Laodice, wife of Antiochus II (261–46 BC), became prominent in Roman times,especially in textile commerce. It is located in the fertile Lycus River valley in the southwestern region of what is now modern-day Turkey. The narrow valley at the east end of a system of more extensivevalleys in western Turkey that runs to the Aegean Sea contains the ancient towns of Colossae, Hierapolis, and Laodicea (EskiHissar). The ruins of Laodicea (EskiHissar), are 10 mi/ 16km west of Colossae, and about 6 mi/10 km south of Hierapolis. Thus,Laodicea is closely associated with the church in Colossae (Col. 2:1; 4:12-16).
In his epistle to the Colossians, Paul commends Epaphras as a gospel worker in the region. Healsomentions Epaphras’ work among the Christians of Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis (Col. 4:12-14).Besides, Paul identifies Luke as “the doctor,” perhaps because of the medical schools in nearby Laodicea and Hierapolis. In the latter, one can still enjoy therapeutic calcium thermal pools near the Turkish town of Pamukkale with its bright white hillside of calcium deposits visible from Laodicea. Although we do not have archaeological evidence for anaqueduct bringing water from Hierapolis to Laodicea, it is possible that the reference in Revelation 3:16 to lukewarm water ofLaodicea could allude tobringing water therefrom the hot springs of Pamukkale since the closest of the white hillsidesisonly about 3 km away.However, some scholars consider this unlikely due to the heavy calcium deposits in the Hieropolis hot spring that would have built up in the water pipes and blocked its flow.
Laodicea had no natural water supply, which left it dependent on aqueducts. The remains of two separate water systems still exist. One, a traditional, elevated, open-water aqueduct brought water from the Baspinar spring, now in the Turkish city of Denizli. The other,a gravity-pressurized, closed-pipe siphon system made mostly from hewn rock pipe sections, carried water from a tributary of the Lycus River.
By the time water reached Laodicea, it would have becomelukewarm. It has often been stated that cold water was good for drinking and hot water for bathing (Diogenes Laertius, Lives 6.9.104; Seneca Dial, 4.25.1). Strabo said that the water of the city of Laodicea was betterand more drinkable than that of Hierapolis (Geo 13.4.14), probably because of the minerals in the water of the springs and pools,even though the water of Laodicea was full of sediment and lime accumulating inside the terra cotta pipes.
Despite itsless thanideal water system, the city became a prosperous banking center. Its location in the Lycus valley placed Laodicea on an important trade route connecting the port close to Ephesus to major cities inland in the area of Galatia (e.g., Iconium).Eventually, Laodicea became the capital of the Cibryatic confederation of 25 towns of the region (Pliny Nat Hist, 5.29, 105; Strabo Geo, 8.4.17; CicAd Att. 5.15,21).Its wealth isalluded to in Revelation 3:17. In time the city grewso prosperous that it refused Roman disaster relief after the earthquake ofAD 60. Instead, itused its own resources to rebuild the city (Tac Ann. 14.27). Earthquakes were actually quite frequent because the valley is an active seismic region. The city’s wealth enabledit to rapidlyrebuildrepeatedly until the seventh century when one strong tremor destroyed the city to the extent that people abandoned it.
Laodicea’s wealth came primarily from textiles (black wool–Vitruvius De arch, 8.3.14), from the medical school associated with the Phrygian god Men Karou (Strabo Geo, 12.8.20), and from pharmaceutical products. Some have suggested that the eye-salve mentioned in Revelation 3:18 could have been a compound prepared from a Phrygian stone in the form of a tablet (Galen, De sanitate tuenda6.12, 6.439) that could then becrushed to form a powder and applied tothe eyelids (cf. Tob 6:8). Others propose that the eyesalve (Gr. Collyrium—little roll/cake) was a paste. Archaeologists have found about 300 collyrium stamps in various Roman provinces, which testify to its popularity and, therefore, a stablesource of income for the region. However, the medicine did not always work, as ancient writings attest (Diodorus Siculus 22.1.2). The epigram of Martial (c. AD 86–103) has a saying directed to an eye doctor: “You are a gladiator now, you were formerly an eye-doctor (ophthalmicus). You did as a doctor what you do as a gladiator” (Ep. 8.74).
Archaeological evidence indicates that Laodicea had six regular gates and two other monumental ones,asmall theater (odeon),a city council building (bouleuterion),five market places (agora), an elaborate water distribution system with underground drainage, four public bath complexes, at least five decorative fountains (nymphaea), two theaters, and the largest stadium in Anatolia.Overlooking the Lycus valley, the stadium had a diameter of more than 400 feet and could accommodate up to 20,000. After the Christianization of the empire, the city hadas many as 20 churches and chapels. The largest church at Laodicea occupied an entire block (45x42 yards). Dating to the beginning of the fourth century, this churchhad marble floors. Below the altar, archaeologists found a water basin and miniature bottles, which suggest that priests used to putholy water in bottles and gave or sold it to pilgrims.
One archaeological discovery sheds light on the city’s Jewish and Christian communities.A column from one of the fiveNymphaea dedicated to Emperor Septimus Severus (AD 193–211) has a carved seven-branched menorah flanked by a palm branch(lulav) and a ram’s horn (shofar),which are Jewish symbolsusually present in synagogues. The central lamp of menorah hasa carved cross. The mixing of symbols,the menorah (Jewish) with the cross (Christian), might suggest a Jewish-Christian community. Jewish artifacts have been uncovered from both Laodicea and Hierapolis. The necropolis in Hierapolis contains a large number of tombs with menorah and Jewish inscriptions. Laodiceaincluded a community of Jews deported from Babylon to the region during the time of Antiochus III (Jos,Ant 12.3.4.147-9).They aided Antiochus in battle andshared in the city’s wealth as demonstrated by the 20 pounds of gold that theproconsul Flaccusseized c.62 BC before it was sent to the temple in Jerusalem (Cicero,Flacco 68).
The book of Revelation names Laodicea as the last of the seven churches to receive messages from Jesus through John (Rev. 1:11; 3:14-22). Laodicea’s message uses the wealth of the city, the lukewarm water, and the city’s production of eye salve (collyrium) to illustrate the church’s far from ideal spiritual condition (lukewarm) and the solution to the problem (eyesalve).
Bruce, “Laodicea,” Anchor Bible Dictionary, 229-231.
Fairchild, “Laodicea’s ‘Lukewarm’ Legacy: Conflicts of Prosperity in an Ancient Christian City,”30-9,67-8. Murube, “Ocular cosmetics in Ancient times,” 2-7.
Şimşek, “A Menorah with a Cross Carved on a Column of Nymphaeum A at Laodicea ad Lycum,” 343-346.