Laodicea theaters large and small

Laodicea is the last of the seven churches listed in Revelation 1-3. Positioned between Hierapolis (modern-day Pamukkale) and Colossae, Laodicea was a profitable city on a major road in Asia Minor. Laodicea was famous for its wealth, expensive clothing and eye salve (note Revelation 3:17-18). While Hierapolis had healing hot springs and Colossae had refreshing cool water, Laodicea suffered from “lukewarm” water that left severe calcium deposits in its aqueducts (note 3:14-16). In the order of letters, a courier traveling from Patmos would have come to Ephesus first, and Laodicea last. There are two theaters among the ruins of Laodicea. The one that has been better excavated is the oldest. Built in the 2nd century BC, it had a capacity of about 10,000. The larger theater, to the north, was built in the 2nd century AD. It has not been fully excavated.