Ramsay, William Mitchell: The cities and bishoprics of Phrygia: being an essay of the local history of Phrygia from the earliest time to the Turkish conquest (Band 1,1): The Lycos Valley and South-Western Phrygia (Oxford, 1895)

1. SITUATION AND SCENERY. 209

ground that overhangs the river, at the point where it enters a deep

and picturesque gorge, piercing the low broad ridge between the

upper and the lower shelf of the Lycos valley (Ch. I § 3)1. The

fortified acropolis was on the south bank ; but the buildings and

tombs extended far on to the north bank; and thus the gorge literally

begins inside the city. Colossai was at one time the great city of

south-western Phrygia, lying on the easy trade-route from Sardis to

Kelainai (the later Apameia) and the southern part of the plateau

in general. The change of road-system, and the foundation of Lao-

diceia proved its ruin. Though situated on the Eastern Highway,

it was so near Laodiceia (11 miles distant), that both could not live

on the trade of the road; and the situation of Laodiceia, as we have

seen, was far more advantageous. Colossai had not, like Hierapolis,

any great natural advantages to ensure its prosperity. It derived"

some importance from its fine wool2 which rivalled that of Laodiceia;

and it retained municipal independence. But whereas Colossai was

' a great city of Phrygia ' in B.C. 480, and ' a populous city, prosperous

and great' in 401, it decayed in proportion as Laodiceia prospered.

In the time of Strabo it was ' a small town' (noXio-fLa p. 576). Pliny

mentions it in a list of oppida celeberrima; but his list, which includes

Celaenae, Andria, Carina, and other cities which had ceased to exist

long before his time, is really an historical retrospect. He previously

had given a list of all the important places, and he now adds, ' besides

those already mentioned' (praeter jam dicta), a list of historically

important names s. Its coinage, struck solely under the Empire, is

scanty and uninteresting, and it almost disappears from history.

Christianity alone has preserved its memory in the Eoman period.

One of the most interesting questions in regard to Colossai4 turns

1 The gorge is about 2J miles long: one given by Lightfoot Colossians p. 16 n,

its breadth varies during a considerable which does not account for the descrip-

part of its length between 150 and 250 tion celeberrima. For Conium in Pliny's

feet: the height of the perpendicular list probably Iconium should be read

rock walls is 60 feet or more. with some MSS. Pliny supposed this

2 The colour of the wool was called Phrygian Iconium to be different from
from the city colossinns. According to the Lycaonian Iconium; but he mis-
PlinyXXI 51, the flower of the cyclamen understood his authority, probably an
was colossinus, and this flower is gene- old Greek work which gave Iconium its
rally said to be purple. Strabo evidently original character as a city of Phrygia
refers to a natural colour; and we must (see Church in B. Emp. p. 37 fj.
suppose that it was a very dark purple, 4 The question is treated more fully
approximating to the black of Lao- in Ch. XIX of my Church in the Roman
diceia. Empire.

" This explanation differs from the
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