Hierapolis' Amphitheater
Hierapolis
Hierapolis was a city of Phrygia, Asia Minor, 120 miles northeastern of Smyrna. In ancient times the people of the city worshiped the Greek goddess Leto but it was converted to Christianity at an early date. The Romans were the builders of its great theater and its baths at the site of the famous hot springs. A deep chasm near Hierapolis that was called the Plutonium is said to have emitted mephitic vapors from its depths, causing the superstitious ancients to believe that it opened to the lower regions. There are present day Roman ruins to be seen and also great falls of a crystalline formation that are fed by the hot springs and offer a sight of great beauty. A modern town has grown up near the site of this ancient metropolis.
