City
Lystra
LISS-truh · Modern Zoldura Höyük, near Hatunsaray, Turkey
Lystra is a city of the biblical world, known today as Zoldura Höyük, near Hatunsaray, Turkey.
What is known
- Where Paul healed a man lame from birth, causing crowds to hail Paul and Barnabas as gods Hermes and Zeus (Acts 14:8-18)
- Paul was stoned and left for dead here by a hostile crowd, then got up and continued his mission (Acts 14:19-20)
- Hometown of Timothy, Paul's close companion and recipient of two New Testament epistles (Acts 16:1-3)
History
- Founded
- A Roman colonia in the region of Lycaonia
- Population
- Estimated 3,000–5,000 residents in the 1st century AD — a Roman military colony covering roughly 30 hectares
- Coordinates
- 37.6019° N, 32.3383° E
Archaeology
Lystra's identification with the mound of Zoldura Höyük rests primarily on a Latin inscription reading "Colonia Iulia Felix Gemina Lystra" found in 1885, plus a 2nd-century altar inscribed with the city's name. The site remains largely unexcavated apart from limited recent digs, so most details of the Roman-era city remain undetermined.
Scripture references
- Acts 14:8-20
- Acts 16:1-3
- 2 Timothy 3:11
On a modern map
Further reading
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