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Philadelphia lies in a valley at the foot of a mountainous plateau in west central Turkey. The low dark hill in the center of the picture shows the area of the ancient city. The kings of Pergamum founded Philadelphia as an outpost of their realm in the second century B.C. The town was located along an important travel route that linked Pergamum in the north with Laodicea to the south. In New Testament times, Philadelphia was part of the Roman province of Asia. The town was devastated by an earthquake in A.D. 17, and for a time people lived in fear of aftershocks. Philadelphia was rebuilt with help from the emperor Tiberius. |
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