Laodice

Laodice is an ancient Greek-derived name and toponym that appeared in the Hellenistic world. It is often written as Laodike or Laodicea and was used for several cities as well as for royal women in the Seleucid and related dynasties. The name is generally understood to be formed from elements meaning “people” (laos) and “justice” or “custom” (dike), though etymologies vary in scholarly discussions.

The most prominent Laodicea is Laodicea on the Lycus, in what is now southwestern Turkey. Founded in the 3rd century BCE as part of the Seleucid realm, it was named in honor of Laodice I, a queen of the Seleucid dynasty. Located in the Phrygia/Lydia region near the Lycus valley, the city grew into a prosperous commercial and cultural center. It featured large public buildings, a theatre, baths, a stadium, and an extensive road network. Laodicea was renowned for wealth, banking, and textile production, as well as for a famous medical school and the so-called Laodicean eye salve, a preparation reputed to treat eye ailments.

In the Christian period, Laodicea is noted as one of the cities addressed in the New Testament’s Epistle to the Laodiceans, and it remained an important urban center into late antiquity before declining under later regimes. The site near modern Denizli, Turkey, preserves extensive ruins that are studied by archaeologists, including colonnaded streets, city walls, and public monuments.

The toponym also circulated as a royal name; Laodice I–III are attested as queens or royal consorts within the Seleucid royal family. Because several cities bore the name, Laodice is sometimes distinguished by the epithet of the location (for example, Laodicea ad Lycum, “Laodicea on the Lycus”).