Ben Witherington Reports on Laodicea
June 12, 2009
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Posted by Ray Fowler
Ben Witherington reports on the ongoing excavation of the biblical city of Laodicea.
Turkish archaeologists have been working very hard indeed on this site over the last several years and the results are remarkable … This city was, along with Hierapolis, [one of] the most important of cities in the Lycus valley … The population size of a city is often judged by the size of its theaters and then one multiplies by 10. On this showing Laodicea was truly urban, with a population around 100,000 at its peak …
There is much more to be said, but let this be said at this juncture. The archaeological evidence at Laodicea simply confirms what the NT suggests about the city — it was large, rich in the first century, a city materially on the rise, but sometimes prosperity has a deadening effect on spirituality as John of Patmos reminds.
See Witherington’s article for more commentary and pictures.
Categories: Archaeology
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