Laodicea
The city is located
in the Lycus River
Valley together with
Hierapolis and
Colossae. This
valley is a natural
route of travel from
east to west.
The city was founded
by the Seleucid king
Antiochus II and
named for his wife
Laodice about 260
B.C.
Lukewarm in Laodicea
"And unto the angel
of the church of the
Laodiceans write;
These things saith
the Amen, the
faithful and true
witness, the
beginning of the
creation of God;
15I know
thy works, that thou
art neither cold nor
hot: I would thou
wert cold or hot.
16So then
because thou art
lukewarm, and
neither cold nor
hot, I will spue
thee out of my
mouth" (Rev 3:14-16)
Aqueduct
The water that was
piped to Laodicea
was rich with
calcium which over
time would cause the
pipes to clog. The
engineers designed
the aqueduct with
vents covered with
stones that could be
removed periodically
for cleaning.
Jesus' condemnation
of the city's church
for lukewarmness
rebukes not their
lack of fervor but
their lack of
effectiveness.
Stadium
One of the few
stadiums preserved
from the ancient
world, this one at
Laodicea was built
by Nicostratus and
dedicated to
Vespasian in 79 A.D.
according to an
inscription found
here.
The stadium is
circular at both
ends and was the
total complex was
900 feet long. Used
primarily for
running races, the
length of the track
was fixed at 600
feet, also known as
one stadium.
Excavations
A small-scale
excavation of the
site was carried out
1961-63 by a
Canadian team led by
Jean des Gagniers.
The focus of their
work was on the
nymphaeum which was
supplied water from
the Baspinar Spring
by an aqueduct that
still survives. The
nymphaeum was dated
to the early 3rd
century A.D.
"Ephesian Gate"
This triple-arched
gateway was
dedicated to
Domitian (81-96).
Apparently Laodicea
received the gospel
not from Paul but
from his helper
Epaphras during the
time Paul was in
Ephesus. Paul wrote
the church here a
letter during his
first Roman
imprisonment. This
letter is not known
historically and
some have suggested
that it is the
letter now known as
Ephesians.
