Archaeologists have uncovered a 2,050-year-old Roman council hall in Turkey adorned with mysterious Christian symbols linked to the Book of Revelation.
Among the ruins in Laodicea, the team found a cross and the early Christian Chi-Rho monogram, representing the first two letters of ‘Christ’ in Koine Greek.
The discovery highlights Laodicea, one of the seven churches mentioned in Revelation, as a real community that received early Christian teachings.
The Book of Revelation, the final book of the Bible, describes visions of the end times and messages from Jesus to these early Christian communities.
In Revelation 1:11, Jesus instructs John: ‘What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.’
Revelation 3:14-22 also mentions Laodicea, rebuking the community for being ‘lukewarm’ in their faith and calling on its people to become more devoted.
Since they were etched into a Roman building from 50 BC, researchers believe Christians may have added them centuries after the structure was built, as the Bible places the crucifixion centuries after.
The hall, also known as a bouleuterion, served as the city’s political and judicial center starting around 50 BC and could host up to 800 people.
Ancient Christian symbols have been unearthed in a Roman council hall in Turkey
The hall dates back more than 2,000 years and holds a statue of Roman Emperor Trajan and seating for roughly 800
The Book of Revelation is a text from the New Testament, believed to be written between 90 and 100 AD by John, describing visions of the end of the world and messages to seven early Christian communities, including Laodicea.
It focused on apocalyptic imagery to convey predictions of divine judgment, cosmic battles, and the ultimate triumph of good over evil, possibly offering hope to early Christians facing persecution under Roman rule.
Another passage in the Book of Colossians also claimed that Laodicea was a hub of early Christianity, likely founded by the Apostle Paul’s disciple Epaphras.
‘For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis. And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea,’ according to Colossians 4:13-16.
For Roman society, the find has reinforced Laodicea’s role as a major administrative center of the ancient world.
Alongside the ruins of the Roman hall, archeologists also discovered a headless statue of Emperor Trajan and seats inscribed with the names of council members, leaders, elders, youths, and ordinary citizens.
These engravings likely acted as an ancient form of reserved seating for different groups within the city’s diverse governing body under Roman rule.
The Roman Empire expanded into western Turkey, including Laodicea, after the defeat of the Seleucid Empire during the second century BC.
The Christian symbols found included a cross and Greek letters spelling ‘Christ’
The Roman hall was likely a forum for political and judicial matters in the city of Laodicea
Emperor Trajan, born in 53 AD and ruling from 98 to 117 AD, was a prominent Roman emperor known for expanding the empire into Asia Minor, where the seven early churches of Christianity mentioned in Revelation were located.
The Romans ruled Laodicea from around 133 BC until the city’s decline in the seventh century AD, a period of approximately 750 years.
The discovery of the Christian symbols in the bouleuterion suggest that between the second to fourth centuries, Christians were a growing presence in the city despite facing persecution under various emperors.
The Edict of Milan, issued by Emperor Constantine in 313 AD, officially legalized Christianity, granting Christians the right to practice openly and leading to widespread use of symbols such as the Chi-Rho in places like Laodicea’s bouleuterion.
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