Ephesus - Turkey's Best Preserved Antiquity Site

Celsius Library, Ephesus Turkey

Lying on the western coast of modern Turkey, the once powerful trading and religious city of Ephesus was one of the largest and most important centers of the ancient Mediterranean world, and is considered one of the best preserved sites of antiquity.

Little is known of Ephesus' origins. Legend has it that the city was created by Androclos, son of Kodros, king of Athens when he fled from the Dor invasion of Greece and sought a new location to settle. He went to the Oracle of Delphi and was told that a fish and boar would guide him. Days later, while frying, a fish fell from the pan, disturbing a hiding boar. The boar fled, Androclos followed and killed the animal, establishing Ephesus on the site where the boar was slain. Legend aside, it seems the city was established by the Ionians in the 11th century BC, and was one of the oldest Greek settlements on the Aegean Sea. Later it was expanded by the Romans and became the provincial seat of Roman government in Asia. Situated at the end of the Royal Road, the chief route of Roman Eastern expansion, the city was the Western boundary of East-West trade. Ephesus was constructed near the mouth of the Cayster River, which was dredged into a full harbor emptying into the Mediterranean and became a great seaport, boasting one of the most important Mediterranean harbors for product export to Italy, Greece and the Roman West.

Ephesus was also prominent as a center of religious piety. From earliest times, it developed around an ancient shrine of the earth goddess Artemis, characterized by the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. From the earliest time of the Christian era, Ephesus played a significant role in the expansion of Christianity as well. With the arrival of Saint Paul, who used the city as a base to spread Christianity to Greece, the prestige of Ephesus increased and was later home to important cults including those of Saint John and the Virgin Mary.

Throughout the ages, Ephesus was dominated by various empires, among them the Lydians, Ionians, Persians and Romans. It managed, however, to retain its independence with a democratic governing system. The city reached its peak and was notorious for its wealth between 1-4AD during the reign of Augustus, and it became capital of New Asia. With economics of a changing world and a troublesome silting harbor, this bustling center became a yesteryear romance - a cultural and religious memory, slowly fading with time. Notwithstanding, Ephesus has remained one of the great reconstructed sites of the ancient world.

Walking through the main entrance, the Magnesia Gate, one is struck by amazing sights. Marble streets, grooved by chariot wheels, lead to beautiful temples, porticos, fountains and frescoes. Exploring the three-story library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian, the Odium, the Fountain of Trojan and the great Theater, Ephesus is a testament to the greatness of an ancient people. Though only 5% of the original city has been uncovered, it seems that history constantly repeats itself, and one cannot help but wonder at the association between the rise and fall of great cities and empires throughout the ages and our changing modern capitals and "empires".

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