It Starts Small

The city of Philadelphia was located approximately twenty-eight miles southeast of Sardis. This city had a major role in commerce. It guarded and commanded an important passage through the mountains between the Hermus and Meander valleys. They were considered the keeper of the key to the door, or gateway keepers to the eastern highlands. They held the power to open and close the gate. Through this portal, commerce passed.

Philadelphia was on a plateau in the Cogamus River valley (today the Alaşehir Çayï), a tributary of the Hermus River. The Persian Royal Road from Sardis to Susa (in modern Iran) ran through Philadelphia. Prior to the Hellenistic founding of the city of Philadelphia, an earlier settlement here was known as Calletebus, dating back several centuries.

The city its self is believed to be built by Attalus Philadelphus. He was the brother of the Lydian King. It was believed to be named after the love and loyalty that existed between them (brotherly love). The city was also known as Decapolis because it was one of 10 cities on the plains.

You might recognize that name, Decapolis.

²⁵ Large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

Matthew 4:25

²⁰ So he went out and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and they were all amazed.

Mark 5:20

³¹ Again, leaving the region of Tyre, he went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis.

Mark 7:31

Philadelphia was the center of a great vineyard district. It thrived on making and selling high quality wines. The main deity people worshiped was Dionysus, the god of wine, and the people who served him partied and reveled as much as they could. \

The greatest issue the city faced was frequent and sever earthquakes. Early historians wrote that the city was completely destroyed in 17 AD. Yet, the people kept on returning and rebuilding. It came to a point people had mobile markets because the people were always fearful and waiting. There was no point to building large walls to be crumble on top of them. Many historians wrote and questioned the sanity of the people to continually return and rebuild.