Laodikeia on Lycus

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Laodikeia on Lykos (Turkey)
Laodikeia on Lycus
Laodikeia on Lycus
Location of the city in today's Turkey

Laodikeia am Lykos ( ancient Greek Λαοδίκεια πρὸς τῷ Λύκῷ ; Latin Laodicea ad Lycum ; Ottoman Lâdik , in German form also Laodicea ) was an ancient city ​​in Phrygia , 6 km north of today's Denizli and 10 km south of Hierapolis (today Çürapolis Çayı), a tributary of the Meander .

Plan of the ancient archaeological site
The western theater

history

Instead of an older settlement called Diospolis, Laodikeia was built by Antiochus II between 261 and 253 BC. Founded and named after his wife Laodike . In Roman times the city was the center of a judicial district ( conventus ) of the province of Asia and was considered an economic center. Marcus Tullius Cicero was proconsul in Cilicia 51/50 BC in his year. Chr. U. a. responsible for the jurisdiction of the eight judicial districts of his province. For this purpose he stayed from February 13th to March 15th of the year 50 BC. In Laodikeia.

In the 1st century AD, Laodikeia was twice devastated by earthquakes under the emperors Tiberius and Nero , but recovered on its own. In Roman times, Laodikeia was an important cotton growing area. Laodikeia is near (8 km) the thermal baths of Hierapolis (today Pamukkale ). So the city lived from spa guests and pilgrims (who considered the healing water to be sacred) and became very rich. Due to the special composition of the Pamukkale thermal water, a special eye ointment was produced in Laodikeia. A certain red plant root could be diluted with this water and then colored black fabrics purple. More and more purple fabrics were produced in Laodikeia in the Roman Empire, e.g. B. the purple sails of Cleopatra. The elaborate dyeing of fabrics with Syrian purple snails had been given an alternative, so that Laodikeia soon became the purple fabric factory of the Roman Empire.

At the beginning of the 4th century, Laodikeia was metropolis of the Phrygia Pakatiane province . 363–364 the Council of Laodicea took place there. In Central Byzantine times, Laodicea was part of the theme of Thrakesion , but had lost all meaning after an earthquake in 494.

After Laodicia was conquered by the Seljuks in the 12th century , the inhabitants were relocated to what would later become Denizli. Denizli was called Denizli Lâdik by the Ottomans , as it was often called to distinguish it from the old Lâdik (Laodikeia).

archeology

early Christian basilica
Row of columns on Ost-West-Straße
View of the stadium
View of the temple precinct, Pamukkale in the background

Laodikeia is located on a flat hill, on the north-western slope of which there were two theaters, of which parts of the rows of seats are still preserved. To the south of the city was a large stadium built in the time of Vespasian ; a building nearby was probably a bath complex . A nymphaeum built in the third century in the center of the city was probably the end of a water pipe that led from the south to Laodikeia.

One of the oldest Christian churches (see picture) was uncovered during excavations by the University of Denizli under the direction of Celal Şimşek . Remains of mosaics and frescoes as well as coins that are dated to the early 4th century were found on the area of ​​2000 square meters. A baptismal font set in the floor with steps on two sides made mass baptisms possible.

The excavation and securing work on neighboring buildings (Tempe (A) was still ongoing in 2017.

Laodicea in the New Testament

Laodicea is mentioned in the New Testament in Colossians (2.1; 4.13.15.16) and in the Apocalypse of John (1.11; 3.14) as the seat of a Christian community.

The Letter to the Colossians (Col 4.16) mentions a letter from Paul to the church in Laodikeia that has not been handed down to us . The so-called Laodizenerbrief , which is found around the middle of the 6th century in some Latin manuscripts within the Pauline letters ( Corpus Paulinum ), owes its origin to this message .

The letter to the Christian community in Laodicea was a special letter, the seventh and final letter of the Apocalypse of John (3: 14-22) to the seven communities . The church is the only one to whom the letter does not praise. Their own self-assessment of being rich and having no need is in stark contradiction to the judgment of Christ and the reference to essential defects contained therein: to be scanty and miserable, poor and blind and naked (3:17). She therefore needs the advice (3:18) to buy “purified gold” (an allusion to the flourishing business of the city of selling golden figures to pilgrims who sacrificed them in Hierapolis to be recovered by water from Pamukkale), “ white robes ”(an allusion to the immense production of [purple] textiles) and“ ointment ”for the eyes (an allusion to the fact that the citizens sell eye ointment, but still haven't recognized the most important thing). This compilation (cf. Eze 16, 8-13) is possibly a current reference to the economic importance of the city. In the biblical- symbolic language, purified gold is to be read as an indication of successful temptations, the white robes (cf. Rev 3: 4; 7, 14) as a symbol of loyalty, purity and forgiveness, but also for baptism and the associated conversion who have favourited eye ointment as overcoming spiritual blindness. In addition to these requests, the Laodiceians are accused of being neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm, i. H. inedible, also an allusion to the lukewarm thermal baths of Pamukkale, to which the city owed a large part of its wealth.

literature

Web links

Commons : Laodikeia am Lykos  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. Cicero, Ad Atticum 5, 21, 9: Idibus Februarariis, quo die has litteras dedi, forum institueram agere Laodiceae Cibyraticum et Apamense, ex Idibus Martiis ibidem Synnadense, Pamphylium (tum Phemio dispiciam κέρας), Lycaonium, Isauricum; ex Idibus Maiis in Ciliciam, ut ibi Junius consumatur, velim tranquille a Parthis.
  2. Tacitus , Annalen 4, 55, 2.
  3. ^ Tacitus, Annals 14, 27, 1.
  4. ^ Nürnberger Nachrichten of May 19, 2011, accessed on May 21, 2011
  5. Hürriyet Dailynews of January 31, 2011 ( Memento of the original of July 28, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 21, 2011 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.hurriyetdailynews.com
  6. The common interpretation of being lousy, namely as carelessness or indolence in faith, is based on the interpretation of "cold" and "hot" according to the metaphorics of modern languages, i. H. on an Eisegese .

Coordinates: 37 ° 50 ′ 9 ″  N , 29 ° 6 ′ 27 ″  E