Ephesus

EPHESUS

The Ancient City of Ephesus, located today within the borders of Selçuk District of Izmir, was an important commercial center founded by the Greeks. Along with the geographical location where it was located, it was home to many large kingdoms with its fertile lands, being a port city, and important structures being built. Located under the rule of Greece, Rome, Byzantium, Principalities, and the Ottomans, this ancient city is still preserved today. This region, to which no new buildings have been added, continues to amaze visitors with its historical, religious, and political features.

EPHESUS UNDER GREEK RULE

Ephesus, which combines the east and the west with its climate, was founded as a Greek Ancient City. Ephesus, founded based on the tradition of the Mother Goddess Kybele, was one of the most important megacities in the world because it had a temple of the cult of Artemis. The Temple of the Cult of Artemis was built by the Lydian King Creseus in B.C. 550. Nowadays, it is considered one of the 7 wonders of the world. The house where the mother of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, was brought here by St. John, is also located here. This house is mostly visited by Christians, and it is also considered a pilgrimage center since Christianity spreads here.

It is known that it was founded as a city of the Arzawa Kingdom by Amazonian Female Warriors in B.C. 6000. Ephesus, which served as a small life center during this period, was later re-established and strengthened by Androcles, the son of the Athenian King Kodros. To the entrance of the Temple of Hadrian, located in Ephesus, there is also an article about the re-establishment of Androcles; “Androcles, the brave son of Kodros, the king of Athens, wants to explore the opposite side of the Aegean Sea. First, he consults with the oracles of the Temple of Apollo in the city of Delphi. The soothsayers tell him that he will build a city on the spot pointed out by the fish and the pig. Androcles sails to the dark blue waters of the Aegean Sea while thinking about the meaning of these words... When they come to the bay at the mouth of the Kaystros River, they decide to go ashore. A wild boar that comes out of the bushes while they cook the fish they keep by lighting a fire escapes dec snatching the fish. Here the prophecy has been fulfilled. They decide to build a city here”. Before B.C. 1200, when the region was attacked by the Dorlar, the people living in the region formed the Ionian region.

EPHESUS UNDER ROME RULE

The Ancient city of Ephesus, which still exists today, was founded by Lysimakhos, the general of Alexander the Great, in B.C. 300. When Lysimakhos was rebuilding this city, they received help from the architect Hippodamos and designed it together based on the architecture called the “Grid Plan”. Ephesus, Lysimakhos, and the Mediterranean and Aegean have become some of the most important commercial centers and port cities. By B.C. 129, Attolos, the King of Pergamum, who headed the center, left the region as a legacy to the Romans. Thus, the Roman Emperor Augustus took over the city. During the reign of Augustus, Ephesus managed to maintain its title as the most important commercial center. The city was quite famous not only as a port city and a trade center but also as a center of philosophy and politics. Ephesus was attacked by the Pontusians during the reign of the Romans and fell into the hands of the Pontus. When it fell into the hands of the Pontusians, events began to happen that could almost be called a disaster. One of them was the “Ephesus Massacre”, which was engraved in history as a “Black Stain”. Mithridates, the head of the Pontus, ordered the murder of everyone who spoke Latin in the city. The number of people killed in this incident is almost 80.000 people. After the massacre, Mithridates wanted to hold a meeting, inviting all the people to the theater area. The people, on the other hand, wanted the soldiers to stay outside the theater area to protect themselves. When the soldiers were attacked and killed by the Ephesians while waiting outside, the city was re-connected to Rome. After the reunification of the region with Rome, Ephesus began to experience the “Golden Age” period.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ANCIENT CITY of EPHESUS?

Ephesus experienced its most eventful and fortunate times until the B.C. 3. century, but by B.C. 270, a major earthquake had occurred and the entire city was razed to the ground. By 380, it had been attacked by the Goths. The Celsus Library, one of the largest libraries of the ancient era and located in this area, was also burned down and destroyed during the attack. Until this year, the belief in paganism was widespread in the region, but after the Goths captured the city, Emperor I. Theodosius imposed the Catholic faith on all the people. They forced people abandoned the monuments belonging to their polytheistic beliefs that they had done before and began to build churches. With the fall of Western Rome in 476, the political situation in Ephesus was affected. With the fall of Western Rome, democracy ended in Ephesus, which remained under Byzantine rule, and the monarchy was replaced. Ephesus, which came under Byzantine rule, has become the “Center of the Diocese”, having lost its former living form. By 614, there was another major earthquake. When everything was destroyed again, Kaystros transported stones, earth, and alluvium to the port of Ephesus to be the same as before. However, this stone, soil, and alluvium that were transported caused the area to become almost a swamp after a while. So much so that malaria disease has begun in the whole of Ephesus, and the population has decreased by almost half. After that, the remaining Ephesians left the area where they lived and settled in the area that is today. In the 11. century, the Anatolian Seljuk state came to the city, and Ephesus, which made it famous for its grandeur for thousands of years, has almost come to an end. Ephesus, which fell into the hands of the Turks in 1304, came under the rule of the Ottoman Empire in 1425. The region, which remained under the rule of the Ottoman Empire until 17. century was completely devastated, and its inhabitants did not leave the region only because they were struggling with malaria disease. Ephesus, which has been dominated by large kingdoms for thousands of years, where different cultures have united, has never been rebuilt, that is, the ancient city structure has never been destroyed. Today, when we go to visit, we can see architecture with Prehistoric, Archaic, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman traces in the ancient city of Ephesus.

PLACES of INTEREST in THE ANCIENT CITY of EPHESUS

·        Varius Bath: The fact that Ephesus is the most important port and trade center has made it a place frequented by a large number of people. For this reason, baths were found at almost all entrances and exits of the city.

·        Agora: The Agora area was built for the leading names of Ephesus. Important invitations and meetings were held here.

·        Basilica: The territory where the courts and official offices are located. Because of the acceptance of Christianity, churches were also located here, as well as commercial agreements were made.

·        Bouleuterion: This area, which resembles a theater, is designed for councilors. However, when political people do not use it, it is also used for both theater and concert purposes.

·        Prytaneon: This area, where the Statues of Artemis are located, was also used for religious purposes. Artemis Sculptures continue to be exhibited in the Ephesus Archaeological Museum today.

·        Domitian Temple: This temple is also known as the first “Pagan Temple” in history. After Christianity was accepted as a religion, it continued to be used as a monastery.

·        Kuretler Street: The first main street of Ephesus. The “Grid Plan” can be clearly seen on this street.

·        Latrines: They are toilets that can be used by 44 people at the same time, connected to pipes outside the city by a water mite.

·        Celsus Library: It is the third-largest library of the Ancient Period. Before the invasion of the Goths, it contained 14,000 rolls.

·        Ephesus Theater: It is the largest ancient theater in the world. It has a capacity of 25.000 people. Concerts and gladiator fights were also held at the Ephesus Theater, which managed to become one of the largest sources of income of its era. During the excavations, some of the weapons used by gladiators were also found.