JOLEE-Power-Edition-2020

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Turkey
Ephesus
By Susan Berger
New York / San Francisco / Hong Kong / London / Tokyo /
Rome / Toronto
One legend claims that Ephesus was established in the 11th century BC by
an Ionian prince; another that it was founded by a tribe of female warriors
from Anatolia. Close to Izmir in modern-day Turkey, Ephesus was once the
most important Greek city and trading center in the Mediterranean. It
suffered through numerous wars and changed hands many times as a result
of various conquests. In 400 BC its Temple of Artemis was built; the
largest on the planet, it was known as one of the Seven Wonders of the
World. In 129 BC Ephesus was left to the Roman Empire, and some claim
it was second only to Rome as a sophisticated center of culture and
commerce. In the 7th century an earthquake and decline in the city’s
harbor due to a shifting shoreline along with Arab invasions forced the
population to flee, and the city went into decline. By the end of the 15th
century when the Ottoman Empire took control of Ephesus, the harbor
was useless and the city was abandoned.
Archeologists began excavating the area in 1863. Although only 20% of
Ephesus has been unearthed, it is still one of the largest accessible
archeological sites in the world. The Library of Celsus, with its magnificent
façade, was built in 123 AD and was once one of the largest libraries in the
ancient world. The Terraced Houses, belonging to wealthiest residents of
Ephesus in the first century, had hot and cold baths, heating systems and
marble floors, and the walls exhibit artwork, mosaics and love poems
written by hand. The Great Theatre held 25,000 people, and is thought to
be the largest outdoor theater in the ancient world. Fortunately, Ephesus
had advanced sewer and aqueduct systems.
Ephesus was an important center in the spread of Christianity. In the 1st
century AD Saint Paul and Saint John were said to have visited, winning
many Christian converts. Mary, the mother of Jesus, is thought to have
spent the last years of her life in Ephesus with Saint John, and their tombs
can be visited there today.
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