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81-446: The ancient Greek city of Hierapolis was built on top of the travertine formation which is in total about 2,700 metres (8,860 ft) long, 600 m (1,970 ft) wide and 160 m (525 ft) high. It can be seen from the hills on the opposite side of the valley in the town of Denizli , 20 km away. This area has been drawing visitors to its thermal springs since the time of classical antiquity . The Turkish name refers to

162-558: A Christian basilica. During the Byzantine period, the city continued to flourish and also remained an important centre for Christianity. The museum contains historical artifacts from Hierapolis, as well as those from Laodiceia, Colossae , Tripolis , Attuda and other towns of the Lycos (Çürüksu) valley. The museum also has a section devoted to artifacts found at Beycesultan Hüyük that includes examples of Bronze Age craft. Artifacts from

243-524: A capacity of 15,000 and was bisected by the main aisle. It featured an imperial box . The lower part originally had twenty rows and the upper part twenty five, but only thirty rows altogether have survived. The auditorium is segmented into nine aisles by means of eight vertical passageways with steps. The proscenium consisted of two stories with ornately decorated niches to the sides. Several statues, reliefs (including depictions of Apollo , Dionysus , and Diana ), and decorative elements have been excavated by

324-529: A fortification system built at Hierapolis in Theodosian times (late 4th century) and is its monumental entrance, matched by a symmetrical gate to the south of the city. Built of reused material from the demolition of the Agora, it is flanked by two square towers, as in other nearby cities such as Blaundus. Four large marble brackets with heads of lions, of panther and of a Gorgon were found collapsed in front of

405-557: A geologist of the Italian National Research Council recognized that the origin of both the Temple of Apollo and of the nearby Ploutonion was linked to the existence of the surface trace of a seismic fault , on which both sanctuaries were purposely built and which was revered as Gateway of Hades. The Ploutonion was the oldest religious centre of the native community, the place where Apollo met with Cibele. It

486-606: A healing centre where doctors used the thermal springs as a treatment for their patients. The city began minting bronze coins in the 2nd century BC. These coins give the name Hieropolis . It remains unclear whether this name referred to the original temple ( ἱερόν , hieron ) or honoured Hiera , the wife of Telephus , son of Heracles and the Mysian princess Auge . This name eventually changed into Hierapolis ("holy city"). In 133 BC, when Attalus III died, he bequeathed his kingdom to Rome. Hierapolis thus became part of

567-453: A local miller , depicts the earliest known machine to incorporate a crank and connecting rod . On the pediment a waterwheel fed by a mill race is shown powering via a gear train two frame saws cutting rectangular blocks by the way of connecting rods and, through mechanical necessity, cranks (see diagram). The accompanying inscription is in Greek . In June 2014 the sarcophagus

648-454: A row of astragali and beads and which, on the decorated below with a row of astragali and beads and which, on the echinus, bear a series of ovolos . The new temple was reconstructed in the 3rd century in Roman fashion, recycling the stone blocks from the older temple. The reconstruction had a smaller area and now only its marble floor remains. Following studies carried out on site in 1998,

729-576: A spa since at least the 2nd century BCE, with many patrons retiring or dying there as evidenced by the large necropolis filled with tombs, most famously that of Marcus Aurelius Ammianos , which bears a relief depicting the earliest known example of a crank and rod mechanism, and the Tomb of Philip the Apostle . Hierapolis was added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. The Italian Archaeological Mission of Hierapolis of Frigia (MAIER) has operated at

810-754: A temple, probably in the first half of the 7th century BC. This temple, originally used by the citizens of the nearby town of Laodicea , would later form the centre of Hierapolis . Hierapolis was founded as a thermal spa early in the 2nd century BC within the sphere of the Seleucid Empire . Antiochus the Great sent 2,000 Jewish families to Lydia and Phrygia from Babylon and Mesopotamia , later joined by more from Judea . The Jewish congregation grew in Hierapolis and has been estimated as high as 50,000 in 62 BC. Hierapolis became

891-413: Is a small cave just large enough for one person to enter through a fenced entrance, beyond which stairs go down and from which emerges suffocating carbon dioxide gas caused by subterranean geologic activity. Behind the 3 square metres (32 sq ft) roofed chamber is a deep cleft in the rock, through which fast-flowing hot water passes while releasing a sharp-smelling gas. During the early years of

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972-434: The cardo maximus , or the city's main north–south road. Ceramic finds around the theater confirm the city's early occupation in the third and second millennia BC. Northeast of the tell , and most likely outside the city walls, a necropolis displays Hellenistic tombs with two main styles of burial: one with an antecedent room connected to an inner chamber, and tumuli , or underground chambers accessed by stairs leading to

1053-482: The Caria , Pisidia and Lydia regions are also on display. The museum's exhibition space consists of three halls of the vaulted Hierapolis Bath buildings and the open-air areas in the eastern side which are known to have been used as the library and gymnasium. The artifacts in open exhibition space are mostly marble and stone. Pamukkale is recognized as a World Heritage Site together with Hierapolis. Hierapolis-Pamukkale

1134-550: The Colossus of Rhodes . More recently, in an interpretation that ties Colossae to an Indo-European root that happens to be shared with the word kolossos , Jean-Pierre Vernant has connected the name to the idea of setting up a sacred space or shrine. Another proposal relates the name to the Greek kolazo 'to punish'. Others believe the name derives from the manufacture of its famous dyed wool, or colossinus . The first mention of

1215-463: The Maiander. " Despite a treacherously ambiguous cartography and history, Colossae has been clearly distinguished in modern research from nearby Chonai ( Χῶναι ), now called Honaz , with what remains of the buried ruins of Colossae ("the mound") lying 3 km (1.9 mi) to the north of Honaz. The medieval poet Manuel Philes incorrectly imagined that the name Colossae was connected to

1296-607: The Sassanid Shapur II in 370, the emperor Valens made the last-ever imperial visit to the city. During the 4th century, the Christians filled Pluto's Gate (a ploutonion ) with stones, suggesting that Christianity had become the dominant religion and begun displacing other faiths in the area. Originally a see of Phrygia Pacatiana , the Byzantine emperor Justinian raised the bishop of Hierapolis to

1377-461: The "New Plutonium" also bears an inscription mentioned by the ancient authors. Next to the Apollo temple and within its sacred area is the oldest local sanctuary, Pluto's Gate , a ploutonion ( Ancient Greek : Πλουτώνειον ) or plutonium, which here means a shrine to the Greek god Pluto . This plutonion was described by several ancient writers, including Strabo , Cassius Dio , and Damascius . It

1458-596: The 190 BC Battle of Magnesia where Antiochus the Great was defeated by the Roman ally Eumenes II . Following the Treaty of Apamea ending the Syrian War , Eumenes annexed much of Asia Minor , including Hierapolis. Hierapolis became a healing centre where doctors used the thermal springs as a treatment for their patients. The city began minting bronze coins in the 2nd century BC. These coins give

1539-468: The 7th century caused the collapse of the entire building as well as the ultimate abandonment of the city. Since the 18th century, the monument's striking ruins have become a recurrent theme in European travellers’ descriptions and engravings. Septimius Severus is portrayed in a relief together with his wife Julia Domna , his two sons Caracalla and Geta , and the god Jupiter . In AD 352, the orchestra

1620-574: The Apostle due to its autobiographical salutation and style, but some modern critical scholars now believe it to be written by another author some time after Paul's death. It is believed that one aim of the letter was to address the challenges that the Colossian community faced in its context of the syncretistic Gnostic religions that were developing in Asia Minor. According to the Epistle to

1701-511: The Byzantine period were also unearthed, including an 11th-century courtyard house. Many statues and friezes were transported to museums in London, Berlin, and Rome. The Hellenistic city was built on a grid with streets running parallel or perpendicular to the main thoroughfare. This main street ran from north to south close to a cliff with the travertine terraces. It was about 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) long and 13.5 metres (44 ft) wide and

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1782-458: The Christian times and has just been recently unearthed. The Nymphaeum is located inside the sacred area in front of the Apollo temple. It dates from the 2nd century AD. It was a shrine of the nymphs , a monumental fountain distributing water to the houses of the city via an ingenious network of pipes. The Nymphaeum was repaired in the 5th century during the Byzantine era. A retaining wall

1863-625: The Colossians, Epaphras seems to have been a person of some importance in the Christian community in Colossae, and tradition presents him as its first bishop. The epistle also seems to imply that Paul had never visited the city, because it only speaks of him having "heard" of the Colossians' faith, and in the Epistle to Philemon Paul tells Philemon of his hope to visit Colossae upon being freed from prison. Tradition also gives Philemon as

1944-490: The Greek colonization, the area was seen as a gateway to the underworld and a place of communication with the underworld deities because of the toxic gasses that emerge from a hot spring inside the cave. According to Strabon and Damascius the temple built on top of the cave was linked to the mother goddess Cybele. The eunuch priests of the Mother Goddess were believed to be the only ones that would not be asphyxiated by

2025-474: The Hellenistic Period (1st and 2nd centuries BC), and are Tumulus graves, which are located on the east side of the foothill. The stone is cut properly limited to the drum cylinder which bonds the top of the burial chamber. The grave room is accessible from the corridor dramos. These tombs belonged to rich families. Poor families' tombs were carved into the rock and are simple. On the north side of

2106-514: The Italian archaeological team and can be seen in the local museum. The theatre has been the object of important restorations between 2004 and 2014. A temple was raised to Apollo Lairbenos, the town's principal god during the late Hellenistic period . This Apollo was linked to the ancient Anatolian sun god Lairbenos and the god of oracles Kareios. The site also included temples or shrines to Cybele , Artemis , Pluto , and Poseidon . Now only

2187-455: The Phrygian inhabitants of the valley were gradually Hellenized , Hierapolis was a Greek foundation from the start. Antiochus the Great sent 2,000 Jewish families to Lydia and Phrygia from Babylon and Mesopotamia, later joined by more from Judea . The Jewish congregation grew in Hierapolis and has been estimated as high as 50,000 in 62 BC. The city was expanded with the booty from

2268-551: The Private Administration. There are two huge doors which were constructed at the end of the 1st century AD and left outside the city walls. Beyond the city walls and meadow, following the main colonnaded road and passing the outer baths ( thermae extra muros ), an extensive necropolis extends for over 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) on both sides of the old road to Phrygian Tripolis and Sardis . The other goes south from Laodicea to Closae. The necropolis extends from

2349-589: The Roman province of Asia . In AD 17, during the rule of Emperor Tiberius , a major earthquake destroyed the city. Through the influence of the Christian Apostle Paul , a church was founded here while he was at Ephesus . The Christian Apostle Philip spent the last years of his life here. The town's Martyrium was alleged to have been built upon the spot where Philip was crucified in AD 80. His daughters were also said to have acted as prophetesses in

2430-404: The Roman province of Asia . Unlike other cities in the region, it was never reconstituted as a Roman colony, though some Romanization took place. In AD 17, during the rule of the emperor Tiberius , a major earthquake destroyed the city. The philosopher Epictetus was born as a slave in the city in 50 AD. Through the influence of the Christian apostle Paul , a church was founded here while he

2511-532: The ancient city. The ruins were slowly covered with a thick layer of limestone. Hierapolis was first excavated by the German archaeologist Carl Humann during June and July 1887. His excavation notes were published in his 1889 book Altertümer von Hierapolis . His excavations were rather general and included a number of drilling holes. He would gain fame for his later discovery of the Pergamon Altar , which

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2592-506: The area came under the control of the Seljuk sultanate of Konya before falling to crusaders under Frederick Barbarossa and their Byzantine allies in 1190. About thirty years later, the town was abandoned before the Seljuks built a castle in the 13th century. The new settlement was abandoned in the late 14th century. In 1354, the great Thracian earthquake toppled the remains of

2673-553: The capital of the Roman province of Phrygia Pacatiana , signed the acts on his behalf. The city's fame and renowned status continued into the Byzantine period, and in 858, it was distinguished as a Metropolitan See. The Byzantines also built the church of St. Michael in the vicinity of Colossae, one of the largest church buildings in the Middle East. Nevertheless, sources suggest that the town may have decreased in size or may even been completely abandoned due to Arab invasions in

2754-486: The cavea into two, was entered by two vaulted passages (the vomitoria ). There is an Imperial loge at the middle of the cavea and a 6-foot-high (1.83 m) wall surrounding the orchestra. During the reign of Septimius Severus at the beginning of the 3rd century, the old scaenae frons was replaced by a new, more monumental one, organized on three storeys and flanked by two imposing side entry buildings. Sculptural reliefs, displaying mythological subjects, were placed on

2835-480: The church in Colossae. A significant city from the 5th century BC onwards, it had dwindled in importance by the time of Paul, but was notable for the existence of its local angel cult. It was part of the Roman and Byzantine province of Phrygia Pacatiana , before being destroyed in 1192/3 and its population relocating to nearby Chonae (Chonai, modern-day Honaz ). Colossae was located in Phrygia , in Asia Minor. It

2916-410: The city had already reached a certain level of wealth and size by this time. Writing in the 5th century BC, Xenophon refers to Colossae as "a populous city, wealthy and of considerable magnitude". It was famous for its wool trade. Strabo notes that the city drew great revenue from the flocks, and that the wool of Colossae gave its name to colour colossinus . In 396 BC, Colossae was the site of

2997-634: The city may be in a 17th-century BC Hittite inscription, which speaks of a city called Huwalušija, which some archeologists believe is a reference to early Colossae. The 5th-century geographer Herodotus first mentions Colossae by name and as a "great city in Phrygia", which accommodates the Persian king Xerxes I while en route to wage war against the Greeks in the Greco-Persian Wars – showing

3078-427: The city, the graves made as the 2nd and the 3rd, are generally surrounded by walls and they have gardens decorated with flowers and trees (especially cypress). Grave monuments which are completely made of travertine, show different types; like simple lahids, and home kind graves which has two or more lahids on it. On the sarcophagus that holds the lahid, there is an inscription written in Greek ( bomas , "altar"). "Bomas"

3159-481: The different storeys, while dedicatory inscriptions ran along the entablatures . The transformation was outstanding due to the size of the structures, the high quality of workmanship and materials employed. The auditorium was rebuilt as well, substituting the ancient limestone seats with others in marble, and realizing a high podium on the orchestra in order to adapt the building to the organization of venationes and gladiator schools. An earthquake in Hierapolis in

3240-399: The entrance. It was covered by a thick layer of suffocating gas, killing anyone who dared to enter it. The priests sold birds and other animals to the visitors, so that they could try out how deadly this enclosed area was. Visitors could (for a fee) ask questions of Pluto's oracle . This provided a considerable source of income for the temple. The entrance to the plutonion was walled off during

3321-578: The entrance. Outside the tell, there are also remains of sections of columns that may have marked a processional way, or the cardo . Today, the remains of one column marks the location where locals believe a church once stood, possibly that of St. Michael. Near the Lycus River, there is evidence that water channels had been cut out of the rock with a complex of pipes and sluice gates to divert water for bathing and for agricultural and industrial purposes. The holiness and healing properties associated with

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3402-515: The execution of the rebellious Persian satrap Tissaphernes , who was lured there and slain by an agent of the party of Cyrus the Younger . Although during the Hellenistic period, the town was of some mercantile importance, by the 1st century it had dwindled greatly in size and significance. Paul 's letter to the Colossians points to the existence of an early Christian community. Colossae

3483-475: The first time in Hierapolis. There are round huts belonging to a large settlement believed to cover the side of the Çökelez Mountain overlooking the wide plain of the Lykos River. Before the Greek colony was established the cult area dedicated to Cybele around a cave and the surrounding rocks was the center of the archaic settlement. The Phrygians built a temple dedicated to the mother goddess Cybele on

3564-588: The foundations of the Hellenistic temple remain. The temple stood within a peribolos (15 by 20 metres (49 by 66 ft)) in Doric style. The structures of the temple are later, though the presence of two Ionic capitals in the Museum (see under Museum), as well as of a Corinthian capital of the 1st century AD and other architectural fragments lead archaeologists to suppose the existence of an earlier temple on

3645-525: The gases of the cave. The hot springs were a major draw to city. After the process of assimilation into Greek culture, it was associated with Hades (Pluton) and Persephone instead of Cybele and the temple was named Plutonium. Hierapolis was founded by the Seleucids in the time of Antiochus I (281 - 261 BC) and received polis status by Eumenes of Permgamon (197-160 BC). The city was famous for its high quality woolen fabrics and dye products. While

3726-501: The gate. They are quite expressive and, while belonging to antique buildings, were evidently reused as apotropaic elements on the two sides of the gate so as to ward off evil influence. The Theatre was probably constructed under the reign of Hadrian after the earthquake of 60 AD. The facade is 300 feet (91 m) long, the full extent of which remains standing. In the cavea there are 50 rows of seats divided into seven parts by eight intermediate stairways. The diazoma , which divided

3807-604: The hot springs. Hierapolis was located on the main road from Iconium to Ephesus , which facilitated trade with the Aegean region. In 2016, excavations were carried out in the Northern Necropolis area of Hierapolis at the entrance of the Archaeological Park by the archaeologists from Denizli Hierapolis Archeology Museum. During these excavations, Iron Age settlement structures were unearthed for

3888-428: The hot springs. In this area, there are 17 hot springs with temperatures ranging from 35 °C (95 °F) to 100 °C (212 °F). The water that emerges from the spring is transported 320 metres (1,050 ft) to the head of the travertine terraces and deposits calcium carbonate on a section 60 to 70 metres (200 to 230 ft) long covering an expanse of 24 metres (79 ft) to 30 metres (98 ft). When

3969-418: The hot water pool of one hotel was retained, and (for a fee) it is possible to swim amongst ancient stone remains. Excavations began in earnest in 1957 when Italian scientists, led by Paolo Verzone , began working on the site. These studies continued into 2008 when a restoration of the site began. Large columns along the main street near the gate named for Domitian were erected again. A number of houses from

4050-421: The landscape. They hope to start digging in 2023-24. The site exhibits a biconical acropolis almost 100 feet (30 m) high, and encompasses an area of almost 22 acres (8.9 ha). On the eastern slope there sits a theater which probably seated around 5,000 people, suggesting a total population of 25,000–30,000 people. The theater was probably built during the Roman period, and may be near an agora that abuts

4131-403: The local museum. The Nymphaeum has a U-shaped plan and sits on the continuation of the main colonnaded road. The stone pavement columns and other architectural remains mark a great part of the colonnaded road which ran through the city in a north–south direction. It has statues and shops around it, underneath which passed canals. The road had a base covered with stone blocks, now under the pool of

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4212-528: The name Hieropolis . It remains unclear whether this name referred to the original temple ( ἱερόν , hieron ) or honoured Hiera , the wife of Telephus , son of Heracles and the Mysian princess Auge , the supposed founder of Pergamon 's Attalid dynasty . This name eventually changed into Hierapolis ("holy city"), according to the Byzantine geographer Stephanus on account of its large number of temples. In 133 BC, when Attalus III died, he bequeathed his kingdom to Rome. Hierapolis thus became part of

4293-537: The native people of the city buried their dead in tombs of several types according to their traditions and socio-economic status. The tombs and funeral monuments can be divided into four types: The monuments are situated in the large area, together with many travertine lahids, inscribed with Soros suffixes written in Greek (some over 2,000 years old) generally in the epigraphs on lahids. There are many architectural grave monuments in Hierapolis and they show different architectural techniques. The oldest graves are of

4374-542: The northern to the eastern and southern sections of the old city. Most of the tombs have been excavated. This necropolis is one of the best preserved in Turkey. Most of the about 1,200 tombs were constructed with local varieties of limestone, though marble has been used, as well. Most tombs date from the late Hellenic period, but there are also a considerable number from the Roman and early Christian periods. People who came for medical treatment to Hierapolis in ancient times and

4455-402: The rank of metropolitan in 531. The Roman baths were transformed to a Christian basilica. During the Byzantine period, the city continued to flourish and also remained an important centre for Christianity. In the early 7th century, the town was devastated first by Persian armies and then by another destructive earthquake, from which it took a long time to recover. In the 12th century,

4536-481: The region. During the 4th century, the Christians filled Pluto's Gate (a ploutonion ) with stones, suggesting that Christianity had become the dominant religion and had begun displacing other faiths in the area. Originally a see of Phrygia Pacatiana, the Byzantine Emperor Justinian raised the bishop of Hierapolis to the rank of metropolitan in 531. The Roman baths were transformed to

4617-581: The second bishop of the see. The city was decimated by an earthquake in the 60s AD, and was rebuilt independent of the support of Rome. The Apostolic Constitutions list Philemon as a bishop of Colossae. On the other hand, the Catholic Encyclopedia considers Philemon doubtful. The first historically documented bishop is Epiphanius, who was not personally at the Council of Chalcedon , but whose metropolitan bishop Nunechius of Laodicea ,

4698-791: The seventh and eighth centuries, forcing the population to flee to resettle in the nearby city of Chonai (modern day Honaz ). Colossae's famous church was destroyed in 1192/3 during the Byzantine civil wars. It was a suffragan diocese of Laodicea in Phyrigia Pacatiana but was replaced in the Byzantine period by the Chonae settlement on higher ground. Most archeological attention has been focused on nearby Laodicea and Hierapolis. Excavations of Colossae began in 2021 led by Bariş Yener of Pammukale University in Denizli. The first several years involve surface surveys to analyze pottery and survey

4779-455: The site probably in the first half of the 7th century BC. This temple, originally used by the indigenous communities living in the Lycus valley would later form the center of Hierapolis. When the Greek colonists arrived and built the city on the pre-existing pattern of settlement, the ancient cult of Cybele was gradually assimilated into the Greek religion. From well before the time of

4860-628: The site since 1957 and is currently directed by Grazia Semeraro , Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Salento. Hierapolis is located on terrace three hundred feet above the Lycus river (modern Çürüksu), a tributary Büyük Menderes (the classical Meander), across the valley from ancient Laodicea on the Lycus and modern Denizli . It is adjacent to the geological formation of Pamukkale, meaning "cotton castle" in Turkish , famous for its travertine limestone terraces deposited by

4941-478: The site. The temple, which has a marble staircase, lies within a sacred area, about 70 metres (230 ft) long. It was surrounded by an enclosure wall ( temenos ). The back of the temple was built against the hill, the peribolos was surrounded on the remaining southern, western and northern sides, by a marble portico , which has been partially excavated. This portico has pilasters bearing fluted Doric semi-columns supporting capitals that are decorated below with

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5022-406: The surface of the shimmering, snow-white limestone, shaped over millennia by calcite-rich springs. Dripping slowly down the mountainside, mineral-rich waters collect in and cascade down the mineral terraces, into pools below. It was added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988 along with Hierapolis. Pamukkale's terraces are made of travertine , a sedimentary rock deposited by mineral water from

5103-418: The town, castrated priests of Cybele descended into the plutonion, crawling over the floor to pockets of oxygen or holding their breath. Carbon dioxide is heavier than air and so tends to settle in hollows. The priests would then come up to show that they were miraculously immune to the gas and infused with divine protection. An enclosed area of 2,000 square metres (22,000 sq ft) stood in front of

5184-418: The water, supersaturated with calcium carbonate, reaches the surface, carbon dioxide de-gasses from it, and calcium carbonate is deposited. Calcium carbonate is deposited by the water as a soft gel which eventually crystallizes into travertine. There are only a few historical facts known about the origin of the city. No traces of the presence of Hittites or Persians have been found. The Phrygians built

5265-575: The whole settlement, exiting a gate at the opposite side, to connect with the road that goes to Laodicea on the Lykos and then Colossae. It is worth admiring the well preserved structure with three openings, in carefully squared travertine blocks, with elegant arches decorated with a simple cornice moulding, flanked by two round towers that recall Hellenistic city Gates such as that of the Pamphilian city of Perge, near Antalya. The north gate forms part of

5346-564: Was a Hellenistic Greek city built on the site of a Phrygian cult center of the Anatolian mother goddess Cybele , in Phrygia in southwestern Anatolia . It was famous for its hot springs, its high quality wool fabrics and dyes, and as the birthplace of the Stoic philosopher Epictetus . Its extensive remains are adjacent to modern Pamukkale in Turkey . The hot springs have been used as

5427-473: Was also dismantled to make room for a large Nympheum. At least two structures are identified as the "Ploutonion" at the ancient site of Hierapolis. One is located adjacent to the Temple of Apollo (identified as the Plutonium in the 60s), the second one is located some 200 meters to the east which has been identified as "the Plutonium" mentioned in the historic sources. The second one, conventionally called

5508-402: Was at Ephesus . The Christian apostle Philip spent the last years of his life here. The town's Martyrium was alleged to have been built upon the spot where Philip was crucified in AD 80. His daughters were also said to have acted as prophetesses in the region. In the year 60, during the rule of Nero , an even more severe earthquake left the city completely in ruins. Afterwards, the city

5589-499: Was bordered on both sides by an arcade . At both ends of the main street, there was a monumental gate flanked by square towers built of massive blocks of stone. The side streets were about 3 metres (9.8 ft) wide. Another gate, the Domitian Gate, was close to the northern city gate. This triumphal arch flanked by circular towers consists of three arches and was built by the proconsul Julius Frontinus (84–86). The town

5670-477: Was built with elements from the peribolos of the Apollonian temple. By doing so, the early Christians cut off the view of the pagan temple. The Byzantine gate was constructed in the 6th century. Now only the back wall and the two side walls remain. The walls and the niches in the walls were decorated with statues. The Italian archaeological team has excavated two statues of priestesses, which are now on display at

5751-598: Was home to the miracle near the Archangel church, where a sacristan named Archipos witnessed, how the Archangel Michael thwarted a plan by the heathens to destroy the church by flooding it with the waters of near-by mountain rivers. The Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates this feast on 6(19) September. The canonical biblical text Epistle to the Colossians is addressed to the Christian community in Colossae. The epistle has traditionally been attributed to Paul

5832-591: Was located 15 km (9.3 mi) southeast of Laodicea on the road through the Lycus Valley near the Lycus River at the foot of Mt. Cadmus , the highest mountain in Turkey's western Aegean Region , and between the cities Sardeis and Celaenae, and southeast of the ancient city of Hierapolis . At Colossae, Herodotus describes how, "the river Lycos falls into an opening of the earth and disappears from view, and then after an interval of about five furlongs it comes up to view again, and this river also flows into

5913-426: Was made a World Heritage Site in 1988. It is a tourist attraction because of this status and its natural beauty. The city of Pamukkale has two sister cities : These locations are also well known for their travertine formations: Turkey's mysterious portal to the underworld - BBC Hierapolis Hierapolis ( / ˌ h aɪ ə ˈ r æ p ə l ɪ s / ; Ancient Greek : Ἱεράπολις , lit. "Holy City")

5994-494: Was probably transformed into an arena for aquatic shows, which had become fashionable. The stage, which is 12 ft (3.7 m) high, had five doors and six niches. In front of these there were ten marble columns, decorated with alternate rectilinear and curved segments. The wall behind the scene was decorated with three rows of columns one behind another. The columns on the front row do not have grooves and stood on octagonal bases. The auditorium consisted of stacked seating with

6075-424: Was rebuilt in the Roman style with imperial financial support. It was during this period that the city attained its present form. The theatre was built in 129 for a visit by the emperor Hadrian . It was renovated under Septimius Severus (193–211). When Caracalla visited the town in 215, he bestowed the much-coveted title of neocoros upon it, according the city certain privileges and the right of sanctuary . This

6156-431: Was repeatedly rebuilt following major earthquakes and improved prior to various imperial visits to the healing springs. In addition, Septimius Severus had a number of new buildings constructed in Hierapolis in gratitude for his secretary Antipater , a native of Hierapolis who also tutored the emperor's two sons. This is the monumental entrance to the Roman city and leads onto the large plateia, 14 m wide, which crosses

6237-470: Was said that only the priest of the Great Mother could enter the cave without being overpowered by the noxious underground fumes. Temples dedicated to Apollo were often built over geologically active sites, including his most famous, the temple at Delphi . When the Christian faith was granted official primacy in the 4th century, this temple underwent a number of desecrations . Part of the peribolos

6318-534: Was stored at the Hierapolis Museum and not displayed. Colossae Colossae ( / k ə ˈ l ɒ s i / ; ‹See Tfd› Greek : Κολοσσαί ) was an ancient city of Phrygia in Asia Minor , and one of the most celebrated cities of southern Anatolia (modern Turkey ). The Epistle to the Colossians , an early Christian text which identifies its author as Paul the Apostle , is addressed to

6399-544: Was the golden age of Hierapolis. Thousands of people came to benefit from the medicinal properties of the hot springs. New building projects were started: two Roman baths, a gymnasium , several temples, a main street with a colonnade, and a fountain at the hot spring. Hierapolis became one of the most prominent cities in the Roman Empire in the fields of the arts, philosophy, and trade. The town grew to 100,000 inhabitants and became wealthy. During his campaign against

6480-495: Was transferred to Berlin and reconstructed in the Pergamon Museum . After the large white limestone formations of the hot springs became famous again in the 20th century, it was turned into a tourist attraction named "Cotton Castle" ( Pamukkale ). The ancient city was rediscovered by travellers, but also partially destroyed by new hotels that were built there. These buildings have been removed in recent years; however,

6561-547: Was used as symbol which stresses that with the connection of a dead body of a person in high position, his or her remembrance will be exalted. These monuments have the same functions with heroon. (The grave monuments made for celebrating are for the heroes' and important persons’ who are believed to become gods after they die.) A raised relief on the Sarcophagus of a certain Marcus Aurelius Ammianos ,

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