Sep 23, Laodicea

After Sardis, we departed for Philadelphia (also in Revelation).  However, because of time constraints, we only stopped for lunch in Philadelphia.  Our next and last stop was to Laodicea (Revelation 3).

Laodicea (in the blue dot) was the 6th largest city in Asia Minor in the first century.  Today, it has a population of 1 million.  It was a very rich and powerful commerce and trade city, so rich that when it was devastated by earthquakes in its history, they refused help because they were so stinking wealthy that they needed nothing.  

There is a HUGE ongoing excavation at Laodicea.  This excavation is very new, only a few years old.  So there is a lot that has yet to be uncovered!  

This next picture is of the archeological reconstruction of the temple to Zeus:

Walking up the steps of the temple to Zeus:

The see-through floor in this Zeus temple allows us to see the layers of that has been excavated at Laodicea.  This Zeus temple was a Roman temple.  But what was revealed through the glass floor is a Greek temple that the Romans built over it. 

You can see an archway of some temple discovered beneath all that was excavated on top:

To the right, on-going excavation and reconstruction of Laodicean buildings:

To the left, a row of colonnades that lined another road in the city of Laodicea:

This is a Greek amphitheater.  It is estimated to have a capacity of 12,000.  A greek-style theater is characterized by how it is built on a hillside.  In contrast, a Roman amphitheater is built on a flat plane and rises up above the ground.  A Greek theater is design to have a scenic vista view, whereas a Roman theater is more concerned with acoustics and sound quality.  Tomorrow, we will see a Roman amphitheater when we go to Ephesus.

This is my good friend, Martha Davis, from the Dunwoody United Methodist Church, Atlanta, GA.

The white cliffs are the hot springs of Hierapolis.  Our hotel is actually to the left of the white cliffs.  Hierapolis is famous for it's hot springs and baths and spas, even in ancient biblical times. Could this "hot water" source be the hot water metaphor used in Revelation by John to the Laodiceans?

'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. (‭Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭15-18  NASB)

This is Jonathan Morris.  He is doing very well and really having a good time, Judy!

Tomorrow, we continue our journey to Ephesus.  I am really excited about this one tomorrow!