Day 11b - The Ruins of Ephesus

Ephesus is the first church mentioned in the book of Revelation, and it was once the fourth largest city of the Roman Empire. (The first was Rome, then Alexandria, then Antioch and then Ephesus).

Ephesus was actually the capital of the Roman Empire in Asia Minor, and it was the center of the tax collectors. It was also known for paying it's highest tax to the Rome because of the Temple of Diana (as seen in the Ephesus Museum).

This ancient city was actually a large harbor town founded in 15 BC by a colony of woman warriors coming from Anatolia (the Asian side of Turkey).

This is a smaller auditorium in Ephesus (wait until you see Pergamum)

This placard speaks about the style of the Ephesian columns
Down the "Processional Way"
The "Processional Way" has Greek gods on every side of the road.
So I was like... what *is* this hole in the wall?	But, I couldn't get too far. Maybe it's to drain water...
Pretty wide street, no?
This is a picture of the caduceus.	The staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology
Just like the other cities in the area, Ephesus had it's share of earthquakes
Recognize this Greek goddess? This is Nike, the Greek goddess of speed
One day, when I learn Greek, I will decipher these.
Our guide "Attakan" lecturing amid the Ruins of Ephesus
This is the Nymphaeum (the fountains) - In the previous post there were these statues of women. That's this one
Das Hanghaus (or in English: "The Terrace House) - Rich people's houses
They kind of don't look rich at the moment...
The Temple of Hadrian
The Ruins of the Temple of Hadrian, built in the 2nd century
These are the reliefs from the Ephesus Museum. See the previous blog for what represents what
Really big blocks with a *lot* of Greek writing on them. Greek I is still a semester away...
A homeless kitten in Ephesus	I guess it finds a lot of mice around here. It looks healthy
The plan for the Latrine
The toilets *mostly* survived the ages. Mostly.
Nobles would send servants to warm the seats...	They were close together so conversation could go on

One of the most famous features of Ephesus is the Library of Celsus. It was third in size, right behind the Library of Alexandria and the Library of Pergamum. I'll explain more of the history with the pictures
Further down the path from the Library of Celsus is The Great Theater

The plan of the Library of Celsus at Ephesus
Remember this area. I'll explain it in a later photo
At the front of the library there are four female statues. See below
Wisdom (sophia)	Virtue (arete)
Intelligence (ennoia)	Knowledge (episteme)
Inside the library
This is a map of the "so-called house of pleasure" near the library
Along the road, this was supposedly the "secret" marker saying that the brothel was to the left of the path.

Short Lesson on the Nicolaitans
The book of Revelation mentions that the assembly of Christians at Ephesians "hated the deeds of Nicolaitans" (Rev. 2:6)

The Nicolaitans were the followers of a man called Nicolas, who was from Antioch. His teachings were as follows: "To understand God's grace, you need to sin first." (This was a heretical teaching). Another concept was that they believed that when you sin, your body commits the sin, while your soul remains pure. This idea is rooted in the philosophy of Greek dualism, in which the body and the soul are separate. (This is actually not at all what the Bible teaches, and is a syncretistic idea that has been passed through the ages)

With this in mind, it is not surprising that there were very many brothels in Ephesus.

Next in Ephesus is the Great Theater, quite a ways from the Library of Celsus

The Great Theater from the distance

Looks like one of the sport stadiums today, no?

The inside "arena"

The "stands"

The entry-way for the wild beasts

Just in front of the Coliseum is a fountain house

The way out of Ephesus

Short Lesson on the Slow Destruction of Ephesus
During the 4th century, the Ephesus harbor was silted by the river Meander, and the entire land became a swamp! When that happened, people abandoned the city and they traveled inland.

After many centuries, the city became a very large mound of dirt. Then, the British came, looking for the Temple of Diana (who, incidentally, was the twin sister of Apollo, the daughter of Zeus).

What was see today though, is only 10% of the actual city.


Thus ends, our visit to Ephesus.
That night, we stayed in Canakkale

Next Stop: Pergamum