Archaeologists Unearth Roman Council Hall in Laodicea Marked with Early Christian Symbols

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – Archaeologists in Turkey have uncovered a 2,050-year-old Roman council hall etched with early Christian carvings, offering fresh historical insight into the biblical church of Laodicea–one of the seven congregations addressed in the Book of Revelation.

The find, reported by Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, was made in the ancient city of Laodicea, located in modern-day Denizli province. Once a thriving Roman hub of commerce and politics, Laodicea is mentioned multiple times in the Bible, including Colossians and Revelation.

The building, known as a bouleuterion, served as Laodicea’s main political and judicial hall and could seat more than 800 citizens. Excavations revealed a headless statue of Emperor Trajan, inscriptions marking the names of elders and youths, and stone carvings of Christian symbols–a cross and the Chi-Rho monogram, one of the earliest signs for Christ’s name in Greek.

Laodicea in the Bible

In Revelation 3:14-16, Yeshua (Jesus) delivers a stern warning to the Laodicean church:

“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”

The rebuke was pointed. Laodicea was famed in the Roman world for three things: its wealth as a banking center, its medical school that produced an eye salve exported across the empire, and its aqueduct system that delivered tepid, lukewarm water–neither refreshingly cold nor soothingly hot. Each detail underscores the symbolism of Revelation’s message, connecting the city’s physical traits with its spiritual complacency.

From Roman Power to Christian Witness

Built around 50 BC, the council hall was originally a monument to Roman law and order. Yet, between the 2nd and 4th centuries, Christians marked their walls with crosses and Christograms–likely acts of defiant faith in an era of persecution.

Following the Edict of Milan in 313 AD, which legalized Christianity under Emperor Constantine, the Chi-Rho symbol spread widely across the empire. What may have begun as a risky declaration of faith within Laodicea’s seat of power later stood as a sign of Christianity’s triumph.

The discovery thus provides more than archaeology: it affirms the historical presence of the Laodicean church described in Scripture. It offers a tangible reminder of how early believers bore witness amid one of the Roman Empire’s wealthiest and most self-sufficient cities.

The stones of Laodicea, carved with symbols of faith, testify to both the complacency that Yeshua (Jesus) condemned and the courage of those who chose to follow Him.

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