The ancient city of Ephesus (Turkey) is located in the western part of the Asia Minor Peninsula, also known by its Greek name Antalya. By modern standards, it is small - its population barely reaches 225 thousand people. Nevertheless, due to its history and the monuments preserved in it from the past centuries, it is one of the most visited cities in the world by tourists.
The city of fertility goddess
In antiquity, and it was founded by the Greeks in the XI century BC. e., the city was famous for the flourishing cult of the local goddess of fertility, which eventually embodied in the fertility goddess Artemis. This generous and hospitable celestial woman in the VI century BC. e. city residents erected a temple recognized as one of the seven wonders of the world.
The city of Ephesus reached an unprecedented peak in the VI century BC. e., when he came under power, captured his Lydian king Croesus, whose name in modern language has become synonymous with wealth. This ruler drowning in luxury spared no money and decorated his temples with new sculptures, and acted as a philanthropist, patronizing science and art. Under him, the city was glorified by its own names for many prominent personalities, such as the ancient philosopher Heraclitus and the poet of antiquity Cullin.
City life in the first centuries of our era
However, the peak of development of the city falls on the I-II century BC. e. During this period, he was part of the Roman Empire, and considerable money was spent on its improvement, thanks to which aqueducts, the library of Celsus, thermae - antique baths, and the Greek theater were rebuilt . One of the many city attractions was its main street, descending to the port and decorated with columns and porticoes. It was named after the Roman emperor Arcadius.
The city of Ephesus is repeatedly mentioned in the New Testament, in particular, in the books “Acts of the Apostles” and “Revelations of John the Theologian”, also known as the “Apocalypse”. The first followers of Christ began to appear in it during the period of the earthly ministry of the Savior, and in 52-54 the Apostle Paul lived and preached the word of God in the city. Researchers also have reason to believe that John the Evangelist, who died and was buried in Ephesus, wrote his Gospel here. Holy Tradition connects this city with the last years of the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Mother of Jesus Christ.
Sea that left the city
At the foundation of Ephesus - the city of Artemis - was laid on the shores of the Aegean Sea and was the largest port center of antiquity. But then the unexpected happened - either the goddess quarreled with the supreme ruler Zeus, and he poured out his anger on the city, or the reasons were of a natural order, but only in the VI century BC. e. the harbor suddenly became shallow and overgrown with silt.
Residents had to move their homes to a new place, located near the current Turkish city of Selcuk, starting construction on Ayasoluk Hill. But the sea still continued to recede, depriving most of the income of this ancient city. Ephesus gradually fell into decay. Landslides and earthquakes completed its work, filling its ruins with sand, and safely preserving it for future archaeologists.
Forgotten Antiquity
The matter was completed by the Arabs, who in the 7th century took part in their raids and finally destroyed what the hand of the blind element had not yet reached. Seven centuries later, the Ottoman Empire captured a significant part of Asia Minor, including the territory on which Ayasoluk, the city of Ephesus, was located.
Since that time, it began to develop, but within the framework of the Islamic tradition. Mosques, caravanserais and Turkish baths appeared on its streets. After another hundred years, the city was renamed, and it got its current name Selchuk, and the city of Ephesus was completely abandoned and fell asleep for several centuries under the thickness of the sand applied here by the hot wind.
Excavation archaeologist enthusiast
The history of archaeological excavations in the ancient city originates in 1863. Their initiator was the British engineer and architect John Turtle Wood, who designed railway station buildings in Turkey. Having set out to find the Ephesian temple of Artemis, mentioned in the New Testament, he received permission from the local authorities to carry out the work.
The task was not an easy one, because the only information that the self-taught archaeologist had was information about where the city of Ephesus was located, but he did not have any specific data on its layout and construction.
City, risen from nothingness
Three years later, the first messages about the discoveries made by John Wood circled around the world, and from that time the city of Ephesus, where outstanding monuments of Hellenic culture were created in previous centuries, attracted everyone's attention.
To this day, the city has preserved many unique monuments belonging to the Roman period of its history. Even taking into account the fact that much remains to be excavated, what appears today is striking in its splendor and makes it possible to imagine the greatness and brilliance of this city during its heyday.
Theater and Marble Street leading to it
One of the main attractions of Ephesus is the ruins of his theater, built in the Hellenic period, but which underwent significant reconstruction during the reign of the Roman emperors Domitian and his successor Trajan. This truly grandiose building accommodated twenty-five thousand spectators, and in a later period was part of the city wall.
Everyone who came to the city of Ephesus by sea could proceed from the port to the theater along a four-hundred-meter street lined with marble slabs. Trading shops, standing on its sides, alternated with statues of ancient gods and ancient heroes, striking visitors with their perfection. By the way, the residents of the city were not only aesthetics, but also quite practical people - during excavations under the street they discovered a fairly developed sewage system.
Library - a gift from the Roman emperor
Among other cultural centers of the ancient world, the city of Ephesus was also known for its library, which received the name of Celsus Polemean - the father of the Roman emperor Titus Julius, who built it in memory of him and installed his sarcophagus in one of the halls. It should be noted that the burial of the dead in public buildings was extremely rare in the Roman Empire, and was allowed only in cases of special merit of the deceased.
The fragments of the building that have survived to this day are part of the facade, richly decorated with allegorical figures placed in niches. Once the collection of the Celsus library included twelve thousand scrolls, stored not only in cabinets and shelves, but also directly on the floor of its vast halls.
Temple Guarded by Medusa Gorgon
In addition to the temple of Artemis, which in ancient times was the hallmark of the city, many more religious buildings were built in Ephesus. One of them is the Adrian sanctuary, the ruins of which can be seen by turning off Marble Street. Its construction dates from 138 A.D. e. From the former splendor of this pagan temple there are only some surviving fragments.
Among them are four Corinthian columns supporting a triangular pediment with a semicircular arch in the middle. Inside the temple you can see the bas-relief of the Gorgon Medusa guarding the temple, and on the opposite wall - images of various ancient gods, one way or another connected with the foundation of the city. Previously, there were also statues of real world rulers - Roman emperors Maximian, Diocletian and Gallery, but today they have become exhibits of the city’s museum.
District of the richest inhabitants of the city of Ephesus
The history of the city during Roman rule was immortalized in the sculptural complex, which was built near the entrance to the Hadrian's temple, which surrounded the Troyan fountain. In the center of the composition stood a marble statue of this emperor, from which a jet of water rose to the sky. Around her in respectful poses were sculptures of the immortal inhabitants of Olympus. Today, these sculptures also adorn museum halls.
Opposite the temple of Hadrian there were houses in which a selected part of Ephesus society lived. In modern terms, it was an elite quarter. Situated on a hillside, the buildings were designed in such a way that the roof of each of them served as an open terrace for the neighboring, located one level lower. The perfectly preserved mosaic, which was laid on the sidewalk in front of the houses, gives an idea of the luxury in which their inhabitants lived.
The buildings themselves were richly decorated with frescoes and various sculptural images, partially preserved to this day. Their subjects included, in addition to the traditional ancient deities in such cases, also images of prominent people of the past. For example, one of them depicts the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates.
Christian shrines of the city
In this city, the monuments of ancient paganism and the Christian culture that replaced it, coexist wonderfully side by side, one of which is the Basilica of St. John. In the VI century, Emperor Justinian I ordered to build it on the spot where, presumably, the holy apostle was buried - the author of the Apocalypse, as well as one of the Gospels.
But the main Christian shrine of Ephesus, undoubtedly, is the house in which, according to legend, the Mother of Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, spent her last years. According to legend, already on the Cross, the Savior entrusted the care of Her to his beloved disciple - the Apostle John, and he, sacredly keeping the Teacher’s order, transferred it to his house in Ephesus.
There is also a very beautiful legend associated with one of the caves located on the slope of a mountain towering nearby. According to the current belief, during the days of the persecution of Christianity, seven young men who professed the true faith were saved in it. To protect them from imminent death, the Lord gave them a deep sleep in which they spent two centuries. Young Christians were awakened already in complete safety - their faith by that time had become the state religion.