During our week in the city of Izmir (formerly Smyrna) we took an excursion to the archeological site of Ephesus. It is one of the seven churches of the New Testament and the Biblical book of John may have been written here. On a warm, sunny day our guide Hakim took us through the ruins, which are considered to be one of the largest Roman archaeological sites in the eastern Mediterranean. Ephesus was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015.

With an estimated population of 225,000, the city was originally an important commercial center on the Mediterranean Sea. But that changed over time as silt from the nearby river extended the land area 3 to 4 kilometers and Ephesus ceased being a harbor city. 

House of the Virgin Mary – Historians believe that Mary, mother of Jesus, lived in the small structure during the last years of her life. Three recent popes have visited the house and it is a popular Catholic pilgrimage destination. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos inside the house, so we could not include the beautiful artwork and relics in this post. 

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Hercules Gate – The 2nd century AD gate narrows the access to only pedestrians on Curetes Way, a major street, and separates the governmental area Ephesus from the city center. One of the gate columns depicts Hercules holding the head of Nemean, a mythological lion. As the god of power and strength, Hercules set out to kill the lion that had been terrorizing the Nemean people. The lion had such a thick skin that the only way Hercules could kill it was to wrestle the lion to the ground and then jab his arm down the lion’s throat in order to choke it to death. Archeologists believe the relief of the flying Nike goddess was also part of the Hercules Gate.

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Curetes Way – The 210 meter-long, marble-paved main thoroughfare was lined with statues, religious and civic buildings, restaurants, and shops selling incense, silk, and other goods.

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Trajan Fountain – The partially-restored, 1st century AD fountain was constructed in honor of Emperor Trajan. Statues of Greek gods and Trajan’s relatives surrounded a 200 square meter pool and are now on display in the Ephesus Museum. A very large statue of Trajan holding a pennant and standing with at least one foot on a globe originally dominated the center of the monument. Most of the statue was destroyed. Only the globe and a foot have survived. The fountain water flowed under the Trajan statue and spilled out onto the street, which helped keep Curetes Way just a bit cleaner. 

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Latrines – During the 1st century AD many homes did not have indoor toilets, so public latrines were common. Latrine users sat in long rows of seats without the luxury of stall or privacy dividers and paid a fee to use the pubic toilets. Latrine memberships could be purchased to avoid the pay-per-use fee and some wealthy citizens even paid for a “deluxe” membership in order to claim a specific seat. Latrines were not just a place to take care of physical needs. They were also a place to socialize and learn the latest important news.

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Terrace Houses – Like today, the #1 rule of real estate applied centuries ago: location, location, location. Wealthier Ephesians built their homes up hillsides to take advantage of superb harbor and city views. Hakim showed us 7 homes built on three terraces. The houses featured colorful mosaic floors, detailed frescoes, marble pillars, and water heating systems for baths.

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Temple of Hadrian – Monument of Hadrian is probably a better name for this structure built in celebration of Emperor Hadrian’s trip from Athens to Ephesus in the 2nd century AD. A relief of Tyche, goddess of victory, decorates the center of the entry  arch. Medusa occupies the space above the temple door and friezes depicting the city’s history are on either side of her. 

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Library of Celsus – Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, a Greek who served as governor of Roman Asia in the 2nd century AD, paid for the construction of the library with his own money and he is reportedly buried beneath the structure. Original pieces were used in the reconstruction of the front facade and historians surmise that the expansive entrance was created to make the building appear bigger than it really is. The library faces east, probably so that the reading rooms could be lit by the morning sun. 

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Gate of Mazeous and Mithridates – Emperor Augustus freed slaves Mateus and Mithridates and sent them to Ephesus to serve as officers of the Roman Empire. The two men were so grateful to the emperor that they commissioned a triumphal arch to be built in honor of Augustus in 40 AD.  Standing next to the Library of Celsus, the arch, also called the Gate of Augustus, includes three vaulted passages. (The recessed, middle passage is not visible in the photo below.) The library side of the gate is made of black marble and white marble was used to construct the opposite side.

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Great Theatre – Located on Panayir Hill and with a seating capacity of 25,000, the Great Theatre was used for concerts, plays, gladiator combats, animal fights, as well as religious, political, and philosophical discussions. Some historians believe the Apostle Paul preached here. The 66 rows of seats are pitched slightly steeper as they ascend so that spectators on the upper levels have great acoustics and superb views of the stage and floor-level arena. We climbed to top of the 2nd level of seats. A fence prohibited us from going further. 

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Miscellaneous Artifacts – We saw most of these items as we walked along Curetes Way.

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Cats – Hakim carried a plastic container of cat food during our walk through Ephesus. He stopped several times and shook the container. And the felines came running! Throughout our tour he sprinkled food along the rocks or walkways. He explained that the tour guides feed the cats so that the felines stay in the area to help eliminate mice and snakes, both of which are not favorites of visitors.

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Temple of Artemis – Unfortunately not much is left of this 550 BC temple, named one of original 7 wonders of the world. The structure, built a short distance from the city center, took 120 years to complete. Preserved statues and artifacts are located in London and Istanbul museums. Out of the 100+ marble pillars of the temple, we saw only one pillar reconstructed to its original height of 17 meters.

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Basilica of St. John – Our last archeological stop of the day was just up the hill from the Temple of Artemis. Parts of the 6th century AD church have been reconstructed, which helped us visualize a bit more of the building. The most notable part of the basilica is the Tomb of John the Apostle. (Some historians dispute the accuracy of John’s burial site.)

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