The New Testament distinguishes Philip of the Twelve from Philip the evangelist in Acts, but later Hierapolis tradition sometimes blends them. Even so, a testimony by Polycrates of Ephesus near the end of the second century, preserved by Eusebius, states that Philip of the Twelve and his daughters were buried at Hierapolis. It is a remarkably early witness to the city’s association with Philip.
The octagonal fifth-century Martyrium on the hill became the grandest building on the pilgrimage route around his memory. Modern excavations uncovered a first-century Roman tomb at the centre of a nearby church, which the team connected with the old tradition of Philip’s grave. The tomb was empty and lacked an identifying inscription, so archaeology supports the strength and antiquity of the tradition without proving the occupant’s identity by itself.
UNESCO describes Hierapolis as the place traditionally associated with Philip’s martyrdom around AD 80 and notes that its churches and fifth-century Martyrium made it a major religious centre of the Eastern Roman world. Later accounts differ over the manner of his death. What the stones demonstrate beyond doubt is that generations of local Christians and pilgrims shaped the city around the memory of his witness.