Unique Facts about Colossae in light of Archaeology

Searching Colossae Today

• Unique Facts about Colossae in light of Archaeology
• Colossians – An Inspired Book for a Small City

The 2025 archaeological excavation at Colossae (modern Honaz, Denizli Province, Türkiye) opens the door to one of the few remaining biblical sites in Asia Minor. The primary excavations of this city may create answers to the many mysteries of the book of Colossians. Let’s consider some unique ideas about this ancient city in light of its biblical history.

Colossae Finds, and Hopeful Future Finds

In 2026, archaeologists found about 60 rock-cut tombs in the travertine bedrock, a naturally formed mineral deposit from geothermal or mineral-rich spring waters. These areas of rock are easy to cut into bathtub-type graves. Within these graves, they have found ceramic vessels, glass perfume bottles, oil lamps, coins, jewelry, and personal effects of those buried there.

Baris Yener described these graves: “The findings show that people in Colossae placed great importance on amulets, talismans, and healing stones, … These items reveal their desire to protect themselves spiritually, and how daily religious practices were intertwined with funerary rituals.” In this, we can see the spiritual mysticism that existed among these people when some became Christians in the 1st century.^[1]https://www.turkiyetoday.com/culture/archaeologists-uncover-2200-year-old-rock-cut-burial-field-in-turkiyes-colossae-3208042

Biblical scholars hope archeologists will find anything connected to some of the mysterious ideas Paul confronted, such as Jewish traditions, worship of angels, and food restrictions. Additionally, remains of a church or household items that might relate to a house church or slavery could provide insight into Scripture.

The People Who Made Colossae Memorable

The biblical record preserves the names of five residents of Colossae, giving us a rare window into the city’s first-century history. Compared with many neighboring cities, these individuals remind us that ordinary people, when faithful to God, can leave a legacy that outlasts kingdoms and monuments. While archaeology has uncovered only fragments of the city’s past and secular writers rarely mention it, Paul’s letters introduce us to several ordinary believers whose faith has outlived the city itself.

Epaphras, a native of Colossae, first brought the gospel to his hometown (Col. 1:7; 4:12-13). Paul calls him a faithful minister of Christ who earnestly prays for believers in Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis. This pioneer established the first church in this ancient settlement by courageously sharing the gospel with them.

Philemon, another prominent Colossian believer, hosted the local church in his home (Philemon 1:2). Early Christians often gathered in private homes rather than in dedicated buildings. Paul’s personal letter to Philemon highlights his love, generosity, and faithfulness. Offering his home for group worship hints at his wealth because of his land or trade; he owned at least one slave.^[2]a good summary of the book: https://www.gci.org/articles/philemon-a-slave-as-a-brother/ So this influential believer caught Paul’s attention, as God had ordained that he meet his runaway slave.

Archippus, mentioned in both Colossians and Philemon, may have been Philemon’s son, though Scripture does not confirm this. Paul urges him, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord” (Col. 4:17), encouraging faithfulness to God’s calling.

Paul mentions Apphia alongside Archippus, and most scholars identify her as Philemon’s wife. Though little is recorded about her, Paul’s greeting implies her giftedness in hospitality in hosting the church in her home. In surveying this list, we can see how meaningful and effective these early believers were to the gospel in the valley that later became a major Christian center in Laodicea and Hierapolis.

Early Influence on Freeing Slaves

Another key person was Onesimus, once Philemon’s runaway slave, who became a faithful and beloved brother through Paul’s ministry (Col. 4:9). He returned to Colossae with Tychicus and delivered Paul’s letters to the churches, demonstrating the gospel’s transforming power. We can assume his return meant his freedom from slavery. Philemon 16 says, “no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother.” (ESV) This event seems to have prompted others to gain freedom in nearby Hierapolis, where multiple inscriptions provide evidence of former slaves securing their freedom.

Inscriptions from the 1st and 2nd centuries in nearby Hierapolis and Laodicea identify former slaves as ἀπελεύθεροι (‘freedmen’) and ἀπελευθέραι (‘freedwomen’), demonstrating that legal manumission formed part of social life in the Lycus Valley. These epitaphs show former slaves establishing families, owning burial plots, and participating in the civic life of their communities, providing important social context for Paul’s letters to the Colossians and to Philemon.^[3]Ritti et al., Hierapolis di Frigia; Corsten, Die Inschriften von Laodikeia am Lykos; Guizzi & Nocita, Laodikeia… Greek and Latin Inscriptions Found in the Excavation 2003–2021 Paul’s personal appeal became a social movement in the valley where a former slave’s freedom could create other similar acts of justice in the region.

Yet Scripture preserves the names of Epaphras, Philemon, Apphia, Archippus, and Onesimus for generations of Christians worldwide. Their stories show that God often preserves the legacy of ordinary believers long after great cities fade. In many ways, the people of Colossae have endured far longer than the city itself. These faithful believers influenced the spiritual and social trends of the 1st century that we should honor today as part of the archeological process.

Colossae to Chonae

Ironically, Colossae’s greatest legacy lies not in its civic achievements, rulers, or monuments. Outside the New Testament, history records only a few individuals from Colossae. Even the nearby medieval city of Chonae produced only a handful of notable figures, including the Byzantine historian Niketas Choniates (c. 1155–1217) and his brother Michael Choniates (c. 1138–1222), Archbishop of Athens. Both were born in the region, studied in Constantinople, and made their greatest contributions elsewhere.

Although Colossae became an episcopal see after the New Testament era, historical records preserve remarkably little about its later church leadership. No securely identified bishop from Colossae is known to have attended the Councils of Laodicea or Ephesus. While nearby cities such as Ephesus, Laodicea, and Hierapolis produced prominent bishops and theologians, Colossae is remembered primarily because it received Paul’s inspired letter.

Yet God preserved something even greater. Rather than remembering famous bishops, Scripture remembers an ordinary church whose faith, love, and gospel witness continue to instruct believers throughout the valley and beyond.

Colossae’s Legacy

Yet Scripture preserves something greater than the names of bishops. Paul’s letters introduce us to ordinary believers whose lives were transformed by the gospel. Epaphras planted the church, Philemon opened his home for believers, and Apphia and Archippus faithfully served the congregation. Most remarkably, Onesimus returned not merely as a forgiven runaway slave but as “a beloved brother” (Philem. 16), demonstrating how the gospel reconciled slave and master within the family of God.

Colossae’s greatest legacy was not church politics or famous leaders but the quiet work of Christ among ordinary people. While later history says little about the city’s bishops, God ensured that the faith of this congregation would never be forgotten through the inspired letters of Colossians and Philemon. Their calling remains ours today: “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Col. 4:5–6, ESV).