6 Ephesus

Today is the big day !
It’s popular and despite not being high season ..it’s busy and it’s best to arrive before of after the cruise ships!

Ephesus on the western coast was a city of great importance and size in the ancient world. Originally founded as an ancient Greek settlement and later became the capital of Roman government in Asia.

The city was a key to East-West trade, and its Mediterranean harbour was one of the most significant for exporting products to the ancient world.

The city developed around an ancient shrine of the earth goddess Artemis and later became a key city in the expansion of Christianity by St Paul .

The city’s history dates back to 6,000 BC, when the earliest settlement in the area was established.
During the Bronze Age, the Greeks settled on the coast.

The original city was on the main hill (now known as the Ayasuluk Hill ) in Selcuk .
The mythical founder of the city was a prince of Athens named Androklos, who had to leave his country . According to the legend, he founded Ephesus on the place where the oracle of Delphi became reality(“ A fish and a boar will show you the way").
And so they built a huge temple to Artemis. - the Artemision which was one of the ancient 7 wonders of the world !
Unfortunately some lunatic called Herostratus decided he wanted to be famous and burnt it down !

Its famous statue is within the towns museum !

Ephesus as we see it today was built from the harbour and the fluctuating and silting delta .

The avenue walkway and market area, the Marble path , is a huge and originally stretched all the way from the entrance / harbour area up the massive theatre - which accommodated almost 30000 people ! It’s currently closed and being restored !

Ephesus has a history of being ruled by various conquerors, including the Persians and Greeks.
During the Roman Republic, it held the status of a 'free' city, although it was under Roman control. The city was permitted to mint its own coin and operate its own city council.
In the Imperial era, Ephesus became the capital of the Asian province .
Augustus' reforms improved the city's economy and initiated a period of peace and prosperity that lasted until the third century AD.
Ephesus boasts of impressive ruins that were constructed during the reigns of Augustus and his successor Tiberius.
Notably, the town-hall (the Prytaneion), a hippodrome stadium, and new aqueduct lines were built during this time.
The civic development continued on a grand scale throughout the Pax Romana .
During this period, the renowned theatre underwent renovations.
-The Odeum, used for city council meetings and theatrical performances

-The fantastic library of Celsus, built to house up to 12,000 scrolls, bathhouses,
-and of course the public latrines were constructed.

There’s a great area of private buildings which depict life for the rich then ! The artwork is amazing !

The Agora, or city square, served as the centre of the business district of ancient Ephesus. It acted as a hub for trade that arrived in the city from across the Empire, particularly the Roman East. The marketplace covers an area of 112 square meters and was surrounded on all four sides by a two-story stoa, which presumably housed merchant stalls. Its construction began during the reign of Tiberius and was completed thirty years later.

The Apostle Paul visited and lived in Ephesus, making it a pivotal center for the spread of early Christianity.

The market could have been supplied by the city's harbour, which was surrounded by warehouses filled with products that were being shipped west or arriving from the eastern provinces and beyond

On that Marble Road , the distinguished road that made its way by the agora to the library, there was supposedly a hidden brothel which was
possibly advertised on the road - The carving features an image of a cross, a woman, a heart, a foot, a money purse, and a library, plus a hole dug into the rock.One interpretation of the carvings is as follows: up at the crossroads, on the left, you’ll find women whose love can be purchased. But please, only stop in if your foot is at least this big, young men, and you have enough coins to fill this hole. Otherwise, we kindly direct you to the library on the right.! Maybe !

It is a fantastic place
BUT
It’s popular - visit 8-10 and 4-6 to avoid the massive cruise ships ! It’s still busy !

We leave and after a brief lunch we try Şirince a village! It’s supposedly for wine tasting but it’s touristy and oddly settled by Turks who migrated from Greece ! It’s dull but we do take a walk around to see the countryside !

Back to town and we hit the museum which is excellent with many great statues from Ephesus!

The castle and basilica is so so !

Back for drinks and a meal !
A good day!Read more