Ephesus was an ancient Greek city in Tureky, built in the 10th century BC and used to be among the 12 twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek era. The city flourished after it came under the control of the Roman Republic in 129 BC.
Population
Ephesus had a population of 33,600 to 56,000 people in the Roman period.
Significance
It was the 3rd largest city of Roman Asia Minor.
Ephesus was one of the 7 churches of Asia that are cited in the Book of Revelation
The Gospel of John may have been written here.
Excavation
Excavations started in 1863 by British architect John Turtle Wood, sponsored by British Museum
Area
The ruins are spread along the slopes of 2 hills, with 2 level sites in between connected by the sloping Street of Curettes.
Origin
Ephesus was founded by the Greeks.
To see
Temple of Artemis
It is one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World and was in Ephesus
The Terrace Houses
These houses were the residency of wealthy people during Roman period
Mary’s House
The house of Virgin Mary is considered to be the last home of Mother Mary. The Christians visit here for pilgrimage and it has been also visited by the last 3 popes.
Basilica of St. John
When St. John, the Apostle died, he was buried and a church was built over his grave-site, which was later developed into a great basilica.
Isa Bey Mosque
It was constructed in 1374-5 and is one of the oldest masterpiece
The Seven Sleepers
The tomb of 7 young men who were encased in the Northern slopes of Mount Pion is also in Ephesus
Ephesus Museum
There is no better place to learn about the history of Ephesus than at the museum, where artifacts are prominently displayed and items are carefully preserved to keep the history alive.
The library of Celsus
It is an ancient Roman building in Ephesus, Anatolia, now part of Selcuk, Turkey
Grand Theatre
The biggest construction’s remaining in Ephesus with a capacity to seat 25,000 people.
Odeon
This building has the shape of a small theatre with a stage building, seating places and the orchestra. It was used for the meetings of the Boulea or the Senate and was also a concert hall for performances.
Toilets
The toilets are aligned along the walls and there was a drainage system under the toilets which is really far down!
Temple of Hadrian
This is one of the best preserved and most beautiful structures on Curetes Street. It was built before 138AD by
P. Quintilius and was dedicated to Emperor Hadrian.
The State Agora
It was mainly used as a political centre where governmental discussions were carried out
The Aqueduct of Sextilius Pollio
This two storied conduit brought water to Ephesus from Marnas. It is a 3.5km long structure
Religious Value
Ephesus was an important enough city for early Christianity, that the third ecumenical council was held there in A.D 431.
It was the site of St. Paul’s ministry for 3 years.
Do you know?????
Slaves sat and heated the toilet stone before the rich people used them
The Celsius Library in Ephesus was the third largest library in the ancient world and had a capacity of 12,000 scrolls and was given as a present to Cleopatra from Marc Anthony.
Ephesus is considered the greatest outdoor museums of Turkey and yet it’s not 100% excavated.
Famous motto of, “an individual can and can “not” step into the same river twice“, was from one of the early philosophers Heraclitus who was born in Ephesus.
The first advertisement in antiquity, was to show which way to the brothel.
End
Ephesus was completely abandoned by the 15th century and nearby Ayasulug was renamed Selcuk in 1914.
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