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Selçuk/Ephesus - Turkey tel +90-(0)232-892-6050 fax +90-(0)232-892-1594 info@anzguesthouse.com |
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Selçuk/Ephesus - Turkey tel +90-(0)232-892-6050 fax +90-(0)232-892-1594 info@anzguesthouse.com |
Ephesus was one of the great cities of the Ionian Greeks in Asia Minor, called Anatolia by the Greeks. It was located in the Greek nation-state of Lydia, where the Cayster River flowed into a natural harbor extending several kilometers to the Aegean Sea. Today, Ephesus is just a couple of kilometers west of Selçuk, a small town about an hour by bus south of İzmir.
The Great Theatre in Ephesus, looking west over the harbor district toward the Aegean.
The small hill in the distance has a small Byzantine era fort on top — from there you have a nice view of the site of the harbor (just beyond the Harbor Street seen leading away above), and in the other direction, the Aegean coast.
The following timeline describes the history of Ephesus. Below that are lots more pictures!
| History of Ephesus | ||
| Ancient times |
The excellent location was settled early. Ephesus is believed by many researchers to be the Apasa (or Abasa) that the Hittites described as the capital of the kingdom of Arzawa. (see the page on Hatuşaş, the Hittite capital in north-central Turkey) Early worship of the Mother Goddess of west Asia begins. (see the page on the Temple of Artemis, the later temple dedicated to a combination of a Greek and Roman diety with this truly Old-Time Religion) |
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| Mycenaean era |
Mycenaean era pottery has been found at Ephesus. Mycenaea, in the Peloponnese just south of Korinthos, was the opposing side in the Trojan War. And yes, Troy is also in Turkey, up the coast near Canakkale, where the water from the Black Sea has made its way down the Bosphorus, into the Sea of Marmara, and then down the Hellespont ("Greek Bridge") into the Aegean. |
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| Early Lydia |
Ephesus is settled by colonists largely from Athens. |
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| Classic Greece |
The ruins of Ephesus seen today are of the city rebuilt in 292 by Lysimachus, the destroyer of Lebedos and Colophon. Ephesus became known as "The first and greatest metropolis of Asia." It was famous for its:
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| Roman Ephesus |
When Rome took over the Greek lands in addition to much of the rest of western Asia, Ephesus became the proconsular capital of western Asia Minor. Ephesus grew in size and importance. The four major cities of the Roman Empire became:
The Romans added their own style of infrastructure — many aqueducts for water supply, public baths, and one of the earliest sewage systems. Click here to see the public toilets! |
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Early Christianity |
The apostle John came to Ephesus soon after 33 CE, and lived there the rest of his life. A prominent theory is that John brought Jesus' mother Mary with him, because he had been charged with taking care of her, and you couldn't very well take care of someone many hundreds of kilometers away in those days! See the page on Maryemana for what is thought to be Mary's home on a mountaintop above Ephesus. Paul passed through here many times on his travels, as did the gospel writer and Greek physician and history writer Luke — see Luke's Acts of the Apostles for some local history (including a report of a riot in the Great Theatre), and Paul's Letter to the Ephesians for his letter to the community he had come to know. Paul wrote his first Letter to the Corinthians during one period when he was in Ephesus. John's Revelation was written from the nearby island of Patmos, but it was addressed to seven churches in western Turkey — Ephesus was one of the seven. A major church building, the Basilica of the Virgin Mary, was built in the 300s. The Third Ecumenical Council of 431 was held in the Basilica of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus. An ecumenical council was a major meeting to define church doctrine. And really to stamp out what were seen as heresies, and in the process define someone (Nestorius in this case) as a heretic. In the 500s, under the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, the enormous Basilica of Saint John was completed nearby. It was on a hill well outside the city, overlooking the former site of the Temple of Artemis, whose stones were re-used in its construction. The site overlooks what is now the town of Selçuk. |
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Post-Roman era |
In 263 CE — late Roman times — Ephesus was sacked by those pesky and violent Goths. However, the city rebuilt and moved on, and became the second-most important city in the Byzantine Empire through the 400s and 500s. In 700 and 716 the Arabs sacked the city, and earthquakes around that time changed the flow of the Cayster River (now known as the Küçük Menderes, or the "Little Menderes"). The harbor quickly disappeared as it filled with silt. This confuses some visitors initially — Ephesus was a major sea port, but where is the sea? If you go up on the small hill seen in the distance in the above picture, where you find a small Byzantine-era fort, you are on a high spot between Ephesus and the present coastline. At certain times of the year, the area of the former river mouth and harbor are visible as a large area that is slightly greener because the soil has a little more moisture. With the complete failure of the harbor and heavy damage to the city's buildings, the once-great city of Ephesus quickly faded away. When the Seljuk Turks conquered the area in 1090, Ephesus was just a small village in the city ruins. The Byzantines took the city back just ten years later, in 1100, and kept control until the late 1200s. The Ottoman Turks then held the area, and Ephesus was completely abandoned in the 1400s. |
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| Ephesus today |
Up through the 1970s Ephesus was just a remote ruin known to historians, archaeologists, and the local people. In the past few decades, as international tourism has become more and more popular, Ephesus has been an increasingly popular destination. Today the ruins have been largely restored, there is frequent bus and dolmuş service to Selçuk, and there are many nice guesthouses and hostels in Selçuk for visitors. |
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On to the pictures!
This is The Great Theatre, a view looking south from the far left seats. It could seat 25,000 back when the city of Ephesus was at its peak. After its partial restoration, now it is again used for concerts.
The original stage surface is missing — the array of square-topped columns supported the stage, and the space below could be used for special effects of the day. For example, gods rising out of the stage and appearing out of nowhere. That area could also serve as dressing and storage areas.
Here is another view toward the west from the theatre. The broad street running off into the distance is Harbor Street — it used to be a major avenue leading to the nearby harbor.
Ephesus was a major seaport, even though it is several kilometers from the Aegean Sea. Earthquakes greatly reduced the flow of the Cayster River, and the natural harbor silted up.
The Great Theatre, seen from near the end of Harbor Street.
The Library of Celsus
This was built around 125 BCE by Gaius Julius Aquila in memory of his father. This was a significant center of study — the library held about 12,000 scrolls. It faces toward the east, so the reading rooms could make the best use of the morning light.
The façade is about all that remains of the original structure.
The city center
Like the Great Theatre, The Library of Celsus sits at one of the main intersections of the city. This view is toward the west, looking toward the area of the harbor and toward the sea.
Another view from higher on the hill, on a darker day.
The city center
This view is looking the opposite direction, away from the Library of Celsus and up the hill along Curetes Way.
That major avenue went through the business district, past many other temples, smaller theatres, baths, the public toilets, and residential districts.
Looking down Curetes Way, past Trajan's Fountain and the Temple of Hadrian toward the city center.
Cybele / Artemis
An architectural column in the city shows the uniquely Ephesian twist on the Greek goddess Artemis (or Αρτεμις).
Or looking at it more realistically, the Greeks arrived to find the locals worshipping the Anatolian Mother Goddess, known to the Phrygians as Cybele. The Greeks then did their usual thing and identified that local deity with whatever goddess of theirs seemed to be the closest.
In this case it wasn't very close — Artemis and Cybele or the Mother Goddess were very different.
There are some shrines to the Anatolian Mother Goddess on the way from Selçuk to Ephesus, see the page describing the walk from Selçuk to Ephesus for pictures. Worship of the Mother Goddess dates back to Neolithic times. A figurine found at Çatalhöyük dates back to about 6000 BC.
As for Artemis,
Ephesus is just a couple of kilometers from Selçuk. You could take a dolmuş from the town center, although your guesthouse could probably give you a lift.
Ephesus is open 0800-1700 daily.
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Selçuk/Ephesus - Turkey tel +90-(0)232-892-6050 fax +90-(0)232-892-1594 info@anzguesthouse.com |
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