Full marks to Professor Shimshek and his team for continuing over many years to unearth the vast site at Laodicea, including things from the Byzantine era as well. We will focus on one of the churches unearthed here. While the stones here may be apparently silent, they speak volumes about the religious struggles between Christianity and paganism, but also between Jews and Christians in this place. The struggles only ceased in the early Medieval period due to yet another devastating earthquake. For instance consider this column with the faded image of a menorah, over which is deeply etched a Byzantine cross…..
Before the cross as a Christian symbol came the fish, and we find that etched in stone here as well…
From the outset of Paul’s missionary journeys Christianity set its sights on cities, with an urban strategy of evangelist, and Laodicea was one of them as, Rev. 3. attests. The church had been there for some considerable amount of time before John wrote to them in the late 90s. And eventually there would be a church standing on top of a hill overlooking the impressive and fertile Lycus valley. 
The further excavation and covering of the Byzantine church (to preserve the mosaic floor from fading in the intense sunlight), is impressive.
This was a tall building with various antechambers. It had a special spot for the baptistry,
And the fish symbol was readily used. 
Notice the mosaic that says Polycarpos proto-diakonos. He was of course one of the first martyrs in the second century and part of the great chain of witnesses who gave their lives for their faith.
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