Laodicea ad Lycum (Laodicea on the Lycus) was an ancient city in the region of Phrygia. It lies 6 km north of today's Denizli and 10 km south of Pamukkale, respectively Hierapolis, on the river Lykos (today Çürüksu Çayı), a tributary of the meander. First settlements in the area around Denizli are dated to about 4000 BC. The area was conquered or settled by Hittites, Phrygians, Greeks, Romans, Seljuks and Mongols.

Laodicea was founded by Antiochos II between 261 and 253 BC in place of an older settlement called Diospolis and was named after his wife Laodike. In Roman times, the city was regarded as an economic centre. Marcus Tullius Cicero was in his year as proconsul in Cilicia 51/50 B.C. among other things responsible for the jurisdiction of the eight judicial districts of his province. This also applies to Laodicea, the centre of a judicial district in the province of Asia. For this purpose he stayed in Laodicea from 13 February to 15 March of the year 50 BC.

In Roman times Laodicea was an important cotton growing area. Laodicea is close (8 km) to the thermal baths of Hierapolis (today Pamukkale). A certain red plant root could be diluted with the water from Hierapolis and then turn black substances purple. Thus more and more purple fabrics were produced in the Roman Empire in Laodicea, e.g. the purple sails of Cleopatra.
The elaborate dyeing of fabrics with Syrian purple snails had become an alternative so that Laodicea soon became the purple fabric factory of the Roman Empire. The town lived on spa guests and pilgrims (who regarded the healing water as sacred) and became very rich.

In the 1st century A.D. Laodicea was heavily devastated by earthquakes twice, under the emperors Tiberius and Nero, but recovered by its own efforts.

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