Monday, June 06, 2011

Ephesus



Resting on ancient ruins... escaping the heat of the sun... end of the day... end of the tour.



Stone carving at the base of the something, patterns, amazing how these are so consistent and standardized in the stones.



Behind me was a bathing room and gym



Ancient Theater



These gates were to the right of the library and lead out to a shopping area. You walk through the shopping area to the theater. The gates were donated and paid for by two rich merchants who were once slaves and won enough in the gladiator fights to buy their freedom.



Me out in front of the senators meeting place, for the record... I hate visors... but it is the only thing that fits around my hair!!!



Ancient Library



Only remnants of the Byzantine Empire... Christian... notice the crosses



Looking back... this was the residential area... the temple to the left... this goes up towards the senators offices.



This is before Artemis Gate and Hercules Gate... just passed the senators offices... this long stretch of road was covered and passes through a residential area and slopes down toward the library.



Ancient toilets



Temple



The Hadrian Temple



Hercules Gate



Artemis Gate



Senators offices







Ancient Backgammon board



Govt. meeting place... senators and the like



Waiting to go into Ephesus... hot day.

Ephesus (Ancient Greek Ἔφεσος, Ephesos; Turkish Efes) was an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city, on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present-day Selçuk, Izmir Province, Turkey. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek era. In the Roman period, it was for many years the second largest city of the Roman Empire; ranking behind Rome, the empire's capital.[1][2] Ephesus had a population of more than 250,000 in the 1st century BC, which also made it the second largest city in the world.[2]

The city was famed for the Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The temple was destroyed in 401 AD by a mob led by St. John Chrysostom.[3] Emperor Constantine I rebuilt much of the city and erected new public baths. The town was again partially destroyed by an earthquake in 614 AD. The city's importance as a commercial center declined as the harbor was slowly silted up by the Cayster River (Küçük Menderes).

Ephesus was one of the seven churches of Asia that are cited in the Book of Revelation.[4] The Gospel of John may have been written here.[5] The city was the site of several 5th century Christian Councils, see Council of Ephesus. It is also the site of a large gladiators' graveyard.

Today's archaeological site lies 3 kilometers southwest of the town of Selçuk, in the Selçuk district of İzmir Province, Turkey. The ruins of Ephesus are a favorite international and local tourist attraction, partly owing to their easy access from Adnan Menderes Airport and via the port of Kuşadası.


2 comments:

Peggy said...

Keep the history coming. Have a great day on your journey

Stacey said...

WOW!!! Ephesus looks incredible!!! Just read up on the history--it really changed hands throughout time...