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Where is Ephesus, Ephesus Information, About Ephesus
About Ephesus
In
334 B.C. Ephesus was conquered by Alexander
the Great who initiated the reconstruction of the
temple which had been set on fire by Hierostatus
on the very night that the Macedonian
champion was born. Ephesus became a great capital
of Asia Minor after 133 B.C. when it became
subject to Rome, and it also evolved as a centre for
commerce. Amongst all the Roman-dominated cities in
Anatolia, Ephesus certainly has the best preserved
and appreciated monuments but above all it is the city
where the quality of Roman life can still be breathed
today, and where one can form an impression of what life
was like at that time.Goths from Crimea conquered the city and looted the Temple of Artemis, then considered to be one of the wonders of the ancient world, and the city’s decline dates from then. It was from here that first Paul the Apostle and then John began to spread Christianity. St Paul, who came from Tarsus, spent three years at Ephesus and founded the first of the seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelations,
before being ousted by Ephesians silversmiths. St.
John lived here with the Virgin Mary while he wrote
his gospel. In 100 A.D. St John was buried in the
city and Justinian erected a basilica over his tomb.In 431 A.D. Theodosius II convened the Third Council at Ephesus, during which the Nestorian heresy was condemned and the Virgin Mary’s divine maternity affirmed. The Library of Celsus, reconstructed by Austrian archaeologists, is without doubt one of Ephesus’ more important monuments. It was erected by Tiberius Julius Aquila in memory of his father, Julius Celsus Polimeanus (proconsul in Asia) in 135 A.D. His Sarcophagus, of fine carved marble, is situated in the funerary chamber underneath the library. The two-storied building has a sumptuously decorated facade with Corinthian columns and capitals together with niches filled with statues representing Wisdom and Intelligence. Three doors lead into the great reading Bedroom, which in antiquity had a wooden roof, and where, in the centre, ther
e
stood a statue of Athena. The marble-lined
aligned walls contained niches where the parchment
scrolls were kept. At that time the library’s collection
amounted to around twelve thousand scrolls.
Hollow spaces were constructed behind the walls (a great
engineering feat) preventing damp from damaging the
scrolls.The main road, the street of the Curetes, runs through the centre between the Library of Celsus and the Agora. Numerous buildings gave onto this street which was paved in marble and stone. On each side there was a colonnaded portico behind which galleries paved with mosaics provided access to private dwellings, shops and workshops. Some of the inscriptions on the columns are clearly visible, adjacent to statues of citizens who contributed towards the birth of the city.
The Large Theatre is Ephesus’ most picturesque monu-ment, its elevated position dominates the entire valley and it could seat over 20.000 people on sixty-six rows of steps. It was built by the Romans in the first century A.D.on the remains of a Greek theatre during the reign of Claudius and it was modified under Nero. Like all theatres it had a cavea (one hundred and fifty four metres in diameter), orchestra (thirty-four metres in diameter), and stage (eighteen metres high). If the Buletos met in the Odeum, this was the meeting place for the Demos, the peoples’ assembly of male citizens. It was in this great theatre that Ephesian silversmiths who worshipped the Goddess Artemis revolted against St Paul and his followers, forcing them to leave Ephesus. The theatre’s facade was ornate: there were three
rows of columns with niches and statues and the
galleried entrances to the theatre are still visible
today. Not far from the Odeon are the remains of the
monu-ment to Memmius, commissioned by Augustus in
the I century B.C. to honour
Cornelius Siila’s grandchild.Hadrian’s Temple, in the Corinthian style, was built along the Street of the Curetes in 138 A.D. and was restored by Austrian archaeologists. It is one of Ephesus’ most attractive and elegant monuments. The four Corinthian columns in the centre support a finely decorated pediment in the centre of which is an elegant female bust: Tyche, the goddess who was the guardian of the city. Above the temple door leading to the celia there is a highly decorated tympanum with a sculpture representing Medusa. On the facade, in front of the columns, four statue bases have survived with the inscriptions of the names of four emperors: Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius and Constanti
us
Chlorus. In the cella there is a plinth that at one
time supported a statue of
Hadrian. On an architrave there is an inscription
that the temple was dedicated to the Emperor “Divo
Adriano” by P
Quintilius. The Dwellings on the Slope, also
called the
Slope Palaces, were luxurious houses of the rich.
They were built on the slopes of Mount Phion and they
have an unusual structure as the roof of each house
forms the terrace of the next. Almost all of them had
three storeys and they were constructed around a
peristyle (a courtyard with a columned portico), with a
central fountain. The floors were paved with mosaics and
almost all the walls frescoed with scenes from
mythology. Two of these can be seen, one next to the
other, which have been completely restored. The first
house dates from the first century A.D. as does the
second which has two peristyles and which was
restored and modified up to the seventh century.
Continuing along the street of the Curetes,
behind the Bathrooms of Scholasticia, there is a
further house with an atrium, which was a Brothel.
Nothing remains of the first floor, bu
t
on the ground floor some of the walls have retained
their frescoes. The mosaic on the floor of the dining
Bedroom represents the four seasons. The Bathrooms were
equipped with hot water and at the back there is a pool
with mosaics featuring a woman, a mouse and a slave.
During restoration work a terracotta statue of
Priapus with an enormous phallus was found and it
can now be seen in Ephesus’ museum. A few Ionian
columns and a perfectly restored wall survive from the
Church of the Virgin Mary. This is an important
church for Christians because it was the first church to
be dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The Ecumenical
Council convened by
Theodosius II proclaiming the Immaculate
Conception of the
Virgin Mary in 431 A.D. was also held in this
basilica.
The Church of the Virgin or the Basilica
of the Council was erected in the fourth century using
the foundations of a second century B.C. basilica
structure called the Museion. Three naves with columns
and balustas were added together with a circular
baptistery with a central font. Some of the floor slabs
bear inscriptions and others are decorated. The
marble omphalon, in the centre of the Church, was
brought from the Bathrooms of the Port.
THE MOST CREATIVE AND
ECONOMICAL EPHESUS TOUR FOR YOU!
We provide you with the air conditioned vehicle with the
driver and the licensed professional English speaking
guide. You can draw up the program and determine the
sights you wish to visit; our guide and the private
vehicle with the driver will be at your disposal.
This kind of Ephesus tour is for those who is short of
time or just have special wishes about what to visit
around Kusadasi and Ephesus.
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