Founded in 260 BC by King Antiochus II, the city of Laodicea is infamously known as the home of the apostate church that was heartily condemned by the Lord Jesus in Revelation 3:14–22. Situated in the Lycus River Valley, Laodicea, a hub of banking, law, and commerce, was frequented by travelers journeying along the east-west and north-south routes of the Roman Empire. Ephesus, one of the most referenced cities in the New Testament, was located about forty miles wast of Laodicea.