Day 03 - Hot Air Balloon Ride, Laodicea, Aphrodisias

Today was the day we've been anticipating - the hot air balloon ride! A majority of us went on this excursion which had a 4:30am wake up time... but the views were worth it! A peaceful ride, from sky high viewpoints we overlooked the sites we visited yesterday, including a perfect view of Hierapolis. From the views we could easily see the hillside covered in calcium deposits known for its healing minerals. A wild and rocky landing straight into a trailer hitched on the truck ended our ride, but we grounded safely and were on our way back to the hotel for breakfast by 7am!

Our Turkish Words of the Day taught by tour guide, Gokhan, were: dog and cat, Kopek and Kedi, respectively.

Our first historical stop of the day was the city known as Laodicea, another Church that had a letter written directly to them in Revelation. This city was known for its wealth, textiles, and also known as the city of "Banking." Much of the city has been rediscovered as they are continuing to excavate even to this day, unearthing new hidden gems.

Laodicea was built by a king for his soon-to-be wife named Laodicea in 62 BC. We entered through the East of the Agora [market place] also known as the Syrian Gate; opposite of this at the West end is the Ephesus Gate. Much like the other sites we've visited, Laodicea was impacted by the major earthquake in 60 AD. At the time, Rome was offering many of these cities help to rebuild. However, Laodicea, a prideful and boastful city who liked to show off their wealth, refused this help and rebuilt on their own...self funded. How did this city in particular have so much wealth? Location, location, location. Laodicea was located right in the center of all trade routes. Thousands of trade caravans passed through Laodicea on their journeys and the people of Laodicea capitalized on this and worked hard to meet the demand of these travellers... much like a modern day Buccee's!

As we walked through the site, it is important to understand a a few major points about Laodicea before reading the letter addressed to this Church in Revelation 3:

Their water supply was different from the surrounding cities and had a distinct taste to it. We saw a water distribution terminal with pipes still intact where the calcification was very noticeable. The water distributed to the people was lukewarm, never too hot, like the waters in nearby Hierapolis, or cold like the waters in Colossae.

Because of this water, their sheep had a unique black color to them referred to as "raven black", which in turn created raven black wool garmnents for the people of Laodicea and they were known for it.

The people of the city were highly educated and known for their medical school, specifically Ophthalmology and the studies they did on the eyes.

While boastful, this was a community that welcomed all. In the Agora we saw a pillar engraved with a menorah, palm branch, rams horns and a cross, signifying unity of people from all walks of backgrounds and faith.

Now that we had a clear picture of the city of Laodicea, we sat as a group in the West Theater, another amazing restored theater which in fact started hosting concerts in 2022. We read Revelation 3:14-22 and it took on a whole new meaning having the background and understanding of who Paul was writing to: 

3:16 -  You are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold: their water!
3:18 - ... and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness: the raven black wool
3:17 - You say, I am rich, I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing: they were one of the wealthiest cities and refused help from Rome
3:18 -  Salve to put on your eyes so you can see: their medical schools, specifically the study of ophthalmology 

Our second stop of the day took us to Aphrodisias, an ancient village built in the honor of the goddess of love, Aphrodite. Specifically chosen by Caesar Augustus to be his city, because he believed in his own deity and that he was a descendant of the goddess herself, one of the city's most important significance was its Sculpting School (marble quarries nearby). We saw so many frescos and temple columns and even a bathtub! But the most beautiful symbol we found engraved in many of the marble slabs was the ICHTHUS (Greek: fish), a secret symbol of early Christianity that stood for: Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.  They stood for and proclaimed this truth even in a place dedicated to a false god, a truth that remains even today. 

- Nicole Lara