Ancient History Awaits the Global Traveler in Ephesus, Turkey

This vacant city of extensive architectural remains was a thriving seaport in the time before Christ, but now it is almost 6 miles inland from the Aegean. Centuries of silting has closed its access to the sea.

The ancient city's society was considered avant-garde in its time, and Ephesus was an early citadel of women's rights, as well as the education center of a thriving region. On the dark side, - from 100BC to 100AD, Ephesus was the ancient capital of the flourishing slave trade.

Legend also has it that the concept of an organized commercial brothel was first introduced to the public in Ephesus, as were public restrooms. There were apparently few private moments in the public toilets of the day, as evidenced by the linked photo.

There are three especially significant ruins among the hundreds in Ephesus. The Library of Celsus, the Temple of Artemis, and the Grand Theatre of Ephesus.

The Library of Celsus

A world recognized icon that was built by the son of the Roman governor of Asia to honor his father in 117AD. It is an excellent example of how the Greeks influenced Roman public architecture for the period. The library is thought to have housed more than12,000 scrolls.

The Temple of Artemis

History records that the Temple of Artemis (Diana - Roman) was constructed over an earlier Bronze Age temple ruin in 550BC. It took 125 years to build. After surviving for almost two centuries, it was destroyed in 356BC -on the very day that Alexander the Great was born. It was rebuilt to even greater glory before being destroyed again in 263AD by Germanic tribes.

There are few visible remains of the once great temple, with little more than one lonely column to mark the site. However, standing near the excavation invites the mind to imagine the enormity and magnificence of the once great ancient structure.

The Grand Theatre of Ephesus

This theatre seats 25,000 spectators and was the largest outdoor theatre of its kind in the ancient world. It was the site of popular Greek plays and games, as well as Gladiator exhibitions in the later Roman era.

The rise and fall of Ephesus

In the second century AD, Ephesus was the largest city in Roman Asia, and its population ranked fourth behind Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch. Its decline took a thousand years, and when the Crusaders entered Ephesus in 1300, the once great seaport was little more than a small village on a marshy plain. The city was totally abandoned about the time that Columbus made his voyage to America.

The millennium of Ephesus' existence has left the largest collection of Roman ruins east of the Mediterranean. As one walks through the vast remains of vanished glory, it is hard to imagine that only about 20% of this enormous city has been excavated.

Ephesus is a historian's delight and an architect's bazaar. All visitors are awed by the imagery and magnitude of what was once a grand city of shining marble and untold riches. Ephesus is definitely worth a place on the global traveler's "must see" list.

If you go

Tours of Ephesus leave from all major Turkish cities and ports, and comfortable accommodations are readily available throughout the region.

Ephesus is located approximately 13 miles from the Turkish port city of Kusadasi, which plays host to many cruise ships. The Adnan Menderes Airport, in Izmir is about 35 miles north of Ephesus. Everything at the Izmir airport is very expensive, so buy all your sundries before you arrive.

Happy travels!

If you are interested in ancient art and architecture, click here to read about our visit to the old walled city of Dubrovnik, Croatia.