It's the job of archaeologists to dig into the history of the past, and while the likes of dinosaurs existing, Tutankhamun's tomb, and the Terracotta Army are relatively easy to prove, things get a little trickier when it comes to what's written down in the Bible.
Still, biblical archeologists make it their mission to try and prove religious naysayers wrong. In the aftermath of historians thinking they've found the potential resting place of Noah's Ark, ancient texts supposedly revealing how Jesus 'really' died, and others blowing the mystery of the Ark of the Covenant wide open, it seems we only end up with more questions than answers when it comes to what the Good Book tells us.
Now, a team of archaeologists has made another astounding discovery in the ancient city of Lystra.
Said to be where the Apostle Paul miraculously healed a lame man, Lystara is long thought of as an urban epicenter during the formative years of Christianity.
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Importantly, the discovery of a 100-foot-long basilica could be key to confirming Lystra's importance in the earlier centuries of Christianity. Adorned with golden mosaics and highly decorated walls, it's hoped that this unearthing goes some way towards backing up the idea that the city helped spread Christianity across the region.
As reported by ArkeoNews, Lystra was held in high regard in the Bible and was mentioned eight times, although there has been little proof that it was such a holy place. Considering the Bible's mentions of the Acts of the Apostles that include Paul's healing and Timothy being appointed as a church leader, archaeologists have been trying to prove that Lystra (located near modern-day Hatunsaray in central Anatolia) is as important as we're led to believe.
It's thought that the basilica served as both an administrative hub and a place of worship. Even for those who don't believe everything written in the Bible, the find suggests that some of it was grounded in real-world places.
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Founded as a Roman colony under the rule of Emperor Augustus, Lystra boomed as one of the biggest cities in the ancient region of Lycaonia.
Among the artifacts recovered are turquoise-colored beads from a child's grave, hammering home the idea that Lystra had spiritual significance into the 12th and 13th centuries. The excavation should give us a better understanding of the Seljuk era, when the medieval Turkic dynasty spanned vast areas across Central and Western Asia from the 11th to the 13th centuries.
İlker Mete Mimiroğlu from Necmettin Erbakan University led the dig and explained: "It shows that when the Seljuks came, the local Christian population did not disappear.
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"They continued their lives under Seljuk rule, within an atmosphere of tolerance."
Even though some of the basilica was revamped into a series of smaller chapels, one altar that included a Roman funerary stele shows how later civilizations continued to adapt sacred spaces.
Hyping the importance of Lystra helping tie biblical narratives to tangible evidence, Mimiroğlu concluded: "From the miracle of the lame man to the grand basilica and beyond, the city embodies centuries of devotion, artistry, and cultural exchange."