Combine a one-year tablet and print subscription to BAR with membership in the BAS Library to start your journey into the ancient past today! Required fields are marked *. (the Chalcolithic period through the Byzantine and Islamic periods). Its inhabitants are called Colossians. The unexcavated site of Colossae sits near the modern city of Honaz at the base of Mt. Click on the map to view it in full resolution. Your email address will not be published. Where is Colossae located? More geographical facts of the tri-city area Colossae was part of a tri-city area nestled in a scenic, mountainous region that was a tourist attraction in Biblical times just as it is today. T. Nelson and Sons. Sign up to receive our email newsletter and never miss an update. Sajju03 India. [19] The unexcavated site of Colossae awaits exploration. [21.5 km.] [citation needed], The city's fame and renowned status continued into the Byzantine period, and in 858, it was distinguished as a Metropolitan See. It stood at the head of a gorge where the two streams unite, and on the great highway traversing the country from Ephesus to the Euphrates valley, 13 miles from Hierapolis and 10 from Laodicea. The site, located near the modern town of Honaz in Turkey, has never been excavated. when Herodotus mentions it as a “great city” visited by the Persian king Xerxes on his military campaign to Greece. [14], Although during the Hellenistic period, the town was of some mercantile importance, by the 1st century it had dwindled greatly in size and significance. But Colossae’s importance as a business center diminished significantly around 100 BC, when the neighboring city of Laodicea was founded as an active and commercially aggressive competitor. The lukewarm waters of Laodicea, its gold and textile production, and its medicinal products become metaphors for the Laodiceans’ fidelity and religious commitment, which the writer of Revelation urged them to renew. 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. Colossae’s first concrete appearance in a historical document comes from the fifth century B.C.E. Michael. [12] It was famous for its wool trade. The entrance to the mound is located here. [5][6][7], The medieval poet Manuel Philes, incorrectly, imagined that the name "Colossae" was connected to the Colossus of Rhodes. It stood at the head of a gorge where the two streams unite, and on the great highway traversing the country from Ephesus to the Euphrates valley, 13 miles from Hierapolis and 10 from Laodicea. It was completely abandoned in 692 - 787 AD, because of the city Chonae was established at the location where today's Honaz District centre is located. The town was known for its fusion of religious influences (syncretism), which included Jewish, Gnostic, and pagan influences that in the first century AD were described as an angel-cult. In Colossians there is mention of local brethren in Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis. Learn more about Colossae in the Bible, history, and tradition in Michael Trainor’s article “Colossae—Colossal in Name Only?” published in the March/April 2019 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. Yet Trainor is still able to reconstruct much of its history for BAR readers. This is the exact location of Colossae in modern day Turkey. 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. The city of Colossae was located in Asia Minor approximately 100 miles east of Ephesus in the Lycus Valley. The message to Laodicea is one of judgement with a call to repentance. The site is uninhabited at present. At Colossae, Herodotusdescribes 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 thi…  It was located in the region of Phrygia and in the roman province area. Alternatively, the church might have been located where the modern city of Honaz now stands. Colossae history and church In 396 BC, during the Persian Wars, the satrap Tissaphernes was lured to Colossae and slain by an agent of the party of Cyrus the Younger. Its history is chiefly … [1] It was located 15 km southeast of Laodicea on the road through the Lycus Valley near the Lycus River at the foot of Mt. Colossae in the Bible. Lexham Bible Dictionary. Nevertheless, sources suggest that the town may have decreased in size or may even been completely abandoned due to Arab invasions in the seventh and eighth centuries, forcing the population to flee to resettle in the nearby city of Chonai (modern day Honaz). ", This page was last edited on 7 December 2020, at 00:02. Despite its significance, its location has been lost to us. A 17th-century B.C.E. Chonæ (vulgar Greek Khonés, Turk. Today, the remains of one column marks the location where locals believe a church once stood, possibly that of St. In fact, in Colossians 2:1 he implies that those at Colossae and nearby Laodicea had never seen him “face to face.”. As a matter of fact, “Xerxes, on his march to Sardes, B.C. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Easton, Matthew George (1897). [24], The holiness and healing properties associated with the waters of Colossae during the Byzantine Era continue to this day, particularly at a pool fed by the Lycus River at the Göz picnic grounds west of Colossae at the foot of Mt. It was once a significant economic centre, but Ephesus now held a significant advantage having direct seaport access. [13 km.] To the untrained eye, the site may appear unimpressive, but great archaeological treasures lie beneath its surface. The letter to the Colossians was addressed to the church located there. See more. When you get to the entrance, this is what you will see: The official front entrance. 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 located in the valley of the Lycus River, roughly 100 miles east of Ephesus . In its earlier days, this city was an important location for several historical events. We know that Antiochus III had settled about 2,000 Jewish families in the general area in 213 BC. [ANAUA] The younger Cyrus, on his march from Sardes towards the Euphrates, B.C. Husbands in Colossae. Colossae was located in Phrygia, in Asia Minor. [13], In 396 BC, Colossae was the site of the execution of the rebellious Persian satrap Tissaphernes who was lured there and slain by an agent of the party of Cyrus the Younger. Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Colossians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ, "Background on Colossae and the Colossians | Bible Commentary | Theology of Work", Chelae on the Asian coast of the Bosphorus, Chelae on the European coast of the Bosphorus, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Colossae&oldid=992766392, Articles with incomplete citations from February 2016, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Articles needing additional references from February 2016, All articles needing additional references, Articles covered by WikiProject Wikify from February 2016, All articles covered by WikiProject Wikify, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, Articles to be expanded from February 2016, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Vague or ambiguous time from February 2016, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2016, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from Easton's Bible Dictionary, Wikipedia articles in need of updating from February 2016, All Wikipedia articles in need of updating, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Bennett, Andrew Lloyd. 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