Ancient City of Ephesus

A carving of Nike, the goddess of victory. Supposedly the shoe company copied the swoosh from the folds of her gown.
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Ancient City of Ephesus

October 17, 2006

We learned that the present ruins are actually the third settlement in the region named Ephesus.

We woke up early on the morning of the 17^th of October and found that the weather was overcast and raining. After yet another (11^th straight day and counting) Turkish breakfast of boiled egg, olives, white bread, tomatoes, cucumbers and feta cheese, we began our tour from the Artemis Hotel in Selçuk towards the ancient city of Ephesus located 3 km away from town. By the time we arrived at the upper gate of the ancient city, it was pouring rain.

Steff demonstrtaing how the Ephesian used their public facilities (WC's, toilettes, whatever you care to call them).
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Aysha, our tour guide, provided us with much information during the course of our walking tour through the ancient ruins. We learned that the present ruins are actually the third settlement in the region named Ephesus. There were 4 settlements in all named Ephesus. The first settlement on a hill nearby was probably started in the 11^th century BC. Legend has it that it was first settled by the Amazons, a tribe of war-like women who settled here from the Black Sea area. Supposedly the Amazons cut off their right breasts so that they can wield their bows more effectively. I suppose these may have been the first feminists. Ephesus changed hands many times over the centuries as first the Cimmerians, then the Lydians, then the Persians and finally, the Greeks under Alexander the Great conquered it (in 333 BC). The present site flourished under Greek rule. The city then fell to the Romans in 189 BC and it remained an important commercial centre. Ephesus was one of the most important commercial cities as it was the port city terminus of the major trade route through Asia Minor. At its height, over 250,000 people lived here. Its decline was a result of the port being silted over time. The port turned into marshes and a resulting malaria plague killed over 200,000 people. Today, the sea is 6 km away from the ancient city.

The famous library of Ephesus.
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Even in the driving rain, the ruins at Ephesus are amazing. The main street is lined with remains of houses with mosaic floors, statues of Hercules, Nike, and many others. There is even a pedestrian zone guarded by a narrow gate that bars chariot traffic. The main street meanders through public bath houses and public toilets (with constantly running water) and ends in probably the most famous site of Ephesus – the library. This library was originally commissioned as a crypt in the 2^nd century AD but was later converted to a library. This structure was merely a pile of ruins until the 1970’s at which time with the help of the Austrians, it was reconstructed to what you see here today; simply magnificent. Taking a right turn at the library, we walked past what is probably one of the earliest billboards – a marble plaque imbedded into the road showing where the nearest brothel is located up the street. We then arrived at the theatre, a 25,000 seat stadium that is one of the largest of the ancient world. It was here that Demetrius, the silversmith, nearly started a riot in protest to Apostle Paul’s message of Christian salvation (see Acts 19). His livelihood of selling tourist souvenir statuettes of the goddess Artemis was being threatened. Nothing much has changed in that regard; today there are still souvenir venders outside the gates of Ephesus.