Hierapolis

A town was founded here by King Eumenes II of Pergamon soon after 190 B.C. Intended as a rival to Laodikeia, the new settlement was a fortified military colony. It may have been named after Hiera ("Hierapolis", city of Hiera), wife of Telephos, the mythical ancestor of the Pergamenes. The first town was destroyed by an earthquake in A.D. 60 and now only the scanty ruins of a theater are visible. A new town was built on a site to the south. The city enjoyed its greatest prosperity around the second and third century but most of the ruins date from later. The existence of a large Jewish community in Hierapolis led to the early arrival of Christianity (Colossians 4:13). In A.D. 80 the Apostle Philip was martyred here and later a church,