Archaeologists uncovered something in this biblical city that changes everything about what St Paul was writing

For nearly two centuries, an ancient city mentioned in the New Testament sat untouched beneath Turkish soil.

Scholars could only speculate about what secrets lay hidden there.

And archaeologists in Turkey recently uncovered over 60 ancient tombs that reveal stunning truths about the people St Paul addressed in his famous letter.

First-ever excavations reveal massive burial complex

Colossae, immortalized as the home of the early Christian community to which St Paul addressed his Epistle to the Colossians, just yielded its first major archaeological discoveries.¹

The site in Turkey’s Aegean region had been identified in the 1830s but never excavated until 2025.²

Dr. Baris Yener from Pamukkale University led the groundbreaking excavation that uncovered more than 60 ancient tombs dating back over 2,200 years.³

"After removing the surface soil, we identified around 65 tombs, of which we excavated 60," Yener told Anadolu Agency.⁴

The necropolis represents "the largest in Anatolia featuring rock-cut, trough-shaped tombs," according to the archaeologist.⁵

These weren’t just random graves scattered across the landscape.

Ancient inhabitants carved the tombs side-by-side directly into travertine rock formations in a remarkably efficient use of space.⁶

Each tomb measured roughly 1.8 meters long, 1 meter wide, and up to 1.5 meters deep.⁷

The dense arrangement wasn’t random — it was brilliant resource management.

"They sought to use the travertine rock formations efficiently, since agriculture was practiced at the time," Yener explained.⁸

"To preserve arable land, they designated the rocky travertine areas as burial grounds."⁹

Think about that for a moment.

These people valued productive farmland so much they carved an entire cemetery into solid rock rather than waste good soil on the dead.

What archaeologists found inside changes everything

The artifacts recovered from these tombs tell a fascinating story about the spiritual world St Paul confronted when his letter arrived in Colossae.

Excavators discovered terracotta ceramics, glass bottles, oil lamps, coins, and sandals — personal belongings meant to accompany the deceased into the afterlife.¹⁰

But here’s what matters most.

Yener’s team uncovered "numerous charms, amulets and stones that were thought to possess healing qualities" scattered throughout the graves.¹¹

"The findings reveal how much the people of Colossae valued magic, talismans and objects believed to have protective powers," the archaeologist stated.¹²

The lamps placed in graves weren’t just for show — ancient inhabitants believed they would illuminate the journey into the afterlife.¹³

This wasn’t some fringe practice in a backwater town.

Colossae had been an important city since the 6th century B.C., famous for its textile and wool production.¹⁴

When the Persian King Xerxes marched toward the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C., historian Herodotus described Colossae as "a great city in Phrygia."¹⁵

St Paul’s letter makes perfect sense now

For centuries, scholars read Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians without fully understanding the cultural backdrop.

Paul wrote to this church around 60-62 A.D. from prison in Rome, addressing dangerous teachings that had infiltrated the congregation.¹⁶

He warned against "philosophy and empty deceit" and condemned practices involving "worship of angels" and "severe treatment of the body."¹⁷

The Colossians were adding requirements to Christianity — mystical practices, angelic intermediaries, and strict ascetic disciplines they thought would give them special spiritual access.¹⁸

Now we know exactly why Paul had to write so forcefully.

These pre-Christian tombs reveal a culture absolutely saturated in magical thinking.

For generations before Paul’s letter arrived, the people of Colossae trusted in protective amulets, healing stones, and mystical rituals to safeguard their journey beyond death.¹⁹

When Christianity came to town through Paul’s colleague Epaphras, old habits died hard.²⁰

The new believers were trying to blend their ancestral magical practices with faith in Christ — exactly what Paul condemned in his letter.²¹

Paul’s response was unequivocal: "In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" and believers are "complete in Him."²²

No amulets needed.

No magical intermediaries required.

No mystical rituals to unlock special access.

Just Christ alone.

The archaeological evidence shows Paul wasn’t fighting abstract theological concepts — he was confronting deeply rooted cultural practices that had shaped Colossian society for more than 2,000 years.

Ancient city that survived for centuries

Colossae’s history stretched from at least the Chalcolithic Age around 5000-3000 B.C. through the medieval period.²³

The city sat along major trade routes and became one of the six largest cities in the ancient region of Phrygia.²⁴

A devastating earthquake in the 1st century A.D. severely damaged the city, but residents rebuilt.²⁵

When another earthquake struck in 787 A.D., the city was finally abandoned.²⁶

For 1,200 years, Colossae lay silent beneath layers of earth near Mount Honaz in modern-day Turkey’s Denizli Province.²⁷

The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s "Legacy for the Future Project" finally launched excavations in 2025 under Dr. Yener’s direction.²⁸

The site could become Turkey’s next major archaeological and faith-tourism destination, positioned close to other ancient cities like Pamukkale, Hierapolis, and Laodicea.²⁹

These discoveries bridge more than five millennia of Anatolian civilization and provide a continuous historical timeline from prehistoric ages through early Christianity.³⁰

The magical artifacts recovered from the necropolis highlight the psychological and spiritual dimensions of ancient life that shaped the world Paul addressed.³¹

Every time someone reads Colossians now, they’ll understand Paul wasn’t just writing theology.

He was challenging a civilization’s deepest assumptions about how to navigate death and the afterlife.

¹ Andrea Margolis, "Archaeologists uncover vast complex of ancient tombs in biblical city tied to St Paul’s letter," Fox News, October 23, 2025.

² "Plans Underway to Excavate Colossae," The Good Book Blog, Biola University, 2022.

³ "Archaeologists Unearth 2,200-Year-Old Tombs in the Ancient City of Colossae," NSF Daily News, October 2025.

⁴ Ibid.

⁵ Ibid.

⁶ Ibid.

⁷ Ibid.

⁸ Margolis, Fox News.

⁹ Ibid.

¹⁰ Ibid.

¹¹ Ibid.

¹² Ibid.

¹³ Ibid.

¹⁴ "Colossae Ancient City Excavation Works Begin," Arkeonews, September 8, 2021.

¹⁵ "Plans Underway to Excavate Colossae," Biola University.

¹⁶ "Epistle to the Colossians," Wikipedia, October 2025.

¹⁷ "Letter of Paul to the Colossians," Britannica, July 20, 1998.

¹⁸ "An Introduction to Paul’s Letter to the Colossians," BJUtoday, January 25, 2021.

¹⁹ "Archaeologists Discover 60 Ancient Tombs in Turkey," Indian Defence Review, October 2025.

²⁰ "Introduction to the Epistle of Paul to the Colossians," Church of Jesus Christ, January 1, 2016.

²¹ Ibid.

²² BJUtoday.

²³ NSF Daily News.

²⁴ Arkeonews.

²⁵ Margolis, Fox News.

²⁶ Ibid.

²⁷ NSF Daily News.

²⁸ Ibid.

²⁹ Ibid.

³⁰ Ibid.

³¹ Ibid.