The City of Philomelium and Polycarp

The Martyrdom of Polycarp was written to Christians in Philomelium (modern Akşehır), a city in Phrygia. Scholarship has overlooked or diminished the importance and role of the Philomelium. My recent article in Vigilae Christianae, "The City of Philomelium and the Occasion of the Martyrdom of Polycarp" (2025), brings together material and literary evidence that indicates Philomelium was a prominent Hellenistic-era settlement and Roman conventus city located on the main transanatolian route of communication. Based on Philomelium’s stature and connectivity, I propose that Christians in the city received an initial version of Polycarp’s martyrdom because of their pre-existing connections with Christians in Smyrna.

The article is available at: https://www.academia.edu/144058234/The_City_of_Philomelium_and_the_Occasion_of_the_Martyrdom_of_Polycarp. For the full article, you can email me.

Also, this previous post has maps showing Philomelium location on the Roman road network: https://www.biblicalturkey.org/post/philomelium-on-the-roman-road-network