Ephesus (Hittite: 𒀀𒉺𒊭 Apaša,[1] Ancient Greek: ἜΦεσος Ephesos) was an ancient Luwian city located on the western coast of Anatolia, three kilometers southwest of the Selcuk district of today's Izmir province. The city has maintained its importance in the Ionian and later Roman periods with the beginning of Greek colonialism in Anatolia. Its foundation dates back to the Polished Stone Age, that is, 6000 BC. 10 BC it was built by Attik and Ionian Greek colonists on the site of the old Arzava capital in the century.
It was one of the twelve cities of Ionia during the Classical Greek period. The city flourished after coming under the control of the Roman Republic in 129 BC.
Ephesus, which was included in the World Heritage Tentative List by UNESCO in 1994,[2] was registered as a World Heritage Site in 2015.[3]
The city is one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient World, the nearby Temple of Artemis (M.D. 550; completed around) is famous for.[4] Among many other monumental buildings are the Library of Celsus and the World War II Museum, which can accommodate 25,000 spectators. Dec. It began in the time of Claudius, Trajan (M.S. There is also an ancient theater completed during the period (98-117).[5] Ephesus was one of the seven churches of Asia mentioned in the Book of Revelation.[6] The Gospel of John may have been written here.[7]
City 5. it was the site of several Christian councils during the century (see Christian Council). The First Council of Ephesus). The city was destroyed by the Goths in 263, and although it was rebuilt, the importance of the city as a commercial center declined due to the gradual erasure of the port by the Küçük Menderes river. It was partially destroyed in an earthquake in 614 AD. The ruins of Ephesus are partially located about 30 km south of Adnan Menderes Airport or Kuşadası Port.
It was added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015. 7 in the excavation work in 2022. shops and a neighborhood dating back to the Early Byzantine Period, which coincided with the century, were reached.[8] The Ephesus Ruins became the most visited museum in Turkey in 2024 with 2 million 634 thousand 355 people.
Its history
Neolithic period
The area surrounding Ephesus was already inhabited during the Neolithic Age (about 6000 BC), as revealed by the artificial mounds known as nearby Arvalya and Cukuriçi.[9][10]
in 1996, a Cukuriçi Mound was discovered on the banks of the Derbent Stream between tangerine gardens, about 100 m to the south-west of the Selcuk, Ay Dec and Ephesus road triangle. As a result of research and excavations conducted under the direction of archaeologist Adil Evren, stone and bronze axes, needles, burnished ceramic fragments, heavy stones, obsidian (volcanic glass) and silex (lighter stone), marine crustaceans, grinding and polishing tools were found in this mound. With the evaluations made, it has been determined that there was a settlement and life from the Neolithic period to the Early Bronze Age in Cukuriçi Höyük. The same kind of materials are again Selcuk, about 8 of the Kusadasi road. the Arvalya Mound was found in the Gül Hanım field adjacent to the Arvalya Creek in km. The artifacts found in the Çukuriçi and Arvalya (Gül Hanım) mounds and the history of the immediate environment of Ephesus thus reach back to the Neolithic Period.
Today, there is nothing on the site of the Temple of Artemis except for a column formed from destroyed columns.
Hellenistic period
Ephesus, the port city where immigrants from Greece started to live in 1050 BC, was moved to the vicinity of the Temple of Artemis in 560 BC. Ephesus, which is being visited today, was founded by Lisimahos, one of the generals of Alexander the Great, in 300 BC. The city printed money autonomously from Rome in common with the city of Apameia Kibotos. These cities were very bright in Asia Minor in the classical period, they were beginning to behave semi-autonomously. Lisimahos re-establishes the city according to the "Grid Plan" found by Hippodamus of Miletus. According to this plan, all the streets and streets in the city intersect each other perpendicularly.
Roman period
Ephesus, which lived its most glorious periods in the Hellenistic and Roman eras, became the capital of the Asian Province during the time of the Roman Emperor Augustus and its population at that time (1 BC.-2. century) has exceeded 200,000 people. During this period, every place is equipped with monumental structures made of marble.
4. with the filling of the port in the century, trade in Ephesus regresses. Emperor Hadrian has the port cleaned several times. The port is filled with alluvium brought by the Marnas Stream coming from the north and the Küçük Menderes river. Ephesus moves away from the sea. 7. arabs have attacked these shores for centuries. Ephesus, which was relocated again during the Byzantine period and came to Ayasuluk Hill in Seljuk, where it was founded for the first time, was taken by the Turks in 1330. Ayasuluk, the center of the Aydinoğulları, 16. since the beginning of the century, it has gradually started to shrink. Today, there is a Selcuk district in the region.
In the Ephesus ruins, on the frieze at the entrance to the Temple of Hadrian, the 3-thousand-year-old foundation legend of Ephesus is displayed with the following sentences: Androklos, the brave son of the Athenian king Kodros, wants to explore the opposite side of the Aegean. First, he consults the oracles of the Temple of Apollo in the city of Delphi. The soothsayers tell him that he will build a city on the place indicated by the fish and the pig. While Androklos is thinking about the meaning of these words, he sails into the dark blue waters of the Aegean... When they come to the bay at the mouth of the Kaystros (Küçük Menderes) River, they decide to go ashore. While they are cooking the fish they have kept by lighting a fire, a wild boar comes out of the bushes and runs away by grabbing the fish. Dec. Here the prophecy has been fulfilled. They decide to build a city here...
Ephesus, which was the main gateway between the East and the West, was an important port city. Dec. This position enabled Ephesus to develop as the most important political and commercial center of its era and to become the capital of the province of Asia during the Roman Period. Ephesus owes its importance in antiquity not only to this. The largest temple of the Artemis culture based on the ancient anatanrica (Kybele) tradition of Anatolia is also located in Ephesus.
6 BC. Ephesus, which ranked at the forefront along with Miletus in science, art and culture in the century, has educated famous people such as Heraclitus the wise, Artemidorus the dream interpreter, Callinos the poet and Hipponaks, Zenodotus the grammarian, Soranos the physician and Rufus.
Architectural works
Since Ephesus has been relocated many times throughout its history, its ruins are spread over a wide area of about 8 kilometers. The ruins in the four main regions Ayasuluk Hill, Artemision, Ephesus and Selcuk are visited by an average of 1.5 million tourists per year. The main structures and artifacts in Ephesus, the first city made entirely of marble, are described below:
The Temple of Artemis
The Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the world, is the first temple of the ancient world built of marble and its foundations were laid in 7 BC. it goes back to the century. The building, built by Croesus, king of Lydia, dedicated to the goddess Artemis, was designed by the Greek architect Chersiphron and decorated with bronze sculptures made by the greatest sculptors of the period, Pheidias, Polycleitus, Kresilas and Phradmon. Its size was 130 x 68 meters and its front facade was turned to the west like other temples of Artemis (Mother Goddess). The temple was used both as a marketplace and as a religious institution. The Temple of Artemis was burned down on July 21, 356 BC by a Greek named Herostratus, who wanted to immortalize his name. On the same night Alexander the Great was born. When Alexander the Great conquered Anatolia, he offered to help rebuild the Temple of Artemis, but was rejected. Only a few marble blocks remain from the temple to this day.
Excavations related to the Temple of Artemis were started by archaeologist John Turtle Wood with the contributions of the British Museum in 1863 and the foundations of the Temple of Artemis were reached at a depth of 6 meters in 1869.[11]
The Library of Celsus
The building, which is one of the most beautiful structures of the Roman period, has taken on the duty of both a library and a tomb monument. when Celsius, who was the governor of Ephesus, died in 106, his son built the library as a funerary monument in his father's name. Celsius's sarcophagus is under the western wall of the library. The facade was restored between 1970 and 1980 Dec. In the library, rolls of books were stored in niches Aproned on the walls.
The House of the Virgin Mary
It is the church in Bülbüldağı where Mary, the mother of Jesus, is believed to have spent her last years together with John.It is a place of pilgrimage for Christians and has also been visited by some popes. Although it is thought that Mary's dead grave here is also in Bülbüldağı, as described in the Bible, it is believed that Mary's grave was located in today's Silifke in the predecessor of the period.
They Sleep Seven (Companions of the Cave)
This place, which was turned into a burial church during the Byzantine period, is believed to be the cave where seven Christian teenagers who fled from the persecution of pagans during the time of the late Roman emperor Decius are rumored to have taken refuge at the foot of Mount Fair. Although there are 33 cities in the world that claim that the relevant cave is within their borders, according to most Christian sources, the city is Ephesus, which is considered sacred by Christians. The cave, best known and visited in Turkey as the cave of the Seven Sleepers, is an important center of the period and St. It is located in Tarsus, the birthplace of Paul. Afshin, whose former name is mentioned in Arabic sources as Efsus, also increased his claim with the report he had prepared for a delegation of scientists and the discovery case they filed in the local court. The other Companions of the Cave in Turkey are in Lice.
A church was built on top of this cave in Ephesus, which was uncovered during an excavation between 1927 and 1928, as a result of excavation Dec. 5 and 6. tombs belonging to the century have also been found. Inscriptions dedicated to the Seven Sleepers are found on both tombs and church walls.
Isa Bey Mosque
Main article: Isa Bey Mosque
in 1374-75, it was built by Isa Bey from Aydınoğulları to the architect Şamlı Dımışklıoğlu Ali on Ayasuluk Hill. It is located between the Temple of Artemis and the Church of Saint Jean. Dec. There are rich decorations and tiles in the mosque, which exhibits the first examples of Anatolian mosque architecture. 19. it was also used as a caravanserai in the century
Other structures
Hadrian's Temple: It was built on behalf of Emperor Hadrian as a memorial temple. Corinth is regular and the legend of the foundation of Ephesus is embroidered on the friezes. the picture of this temple along with the Library of Celsus was used on the back of the TL 20 million and YTL 20 banknotes.
Temple of Domitian: The temple built on behalf of the Emperor Domitian, which is considered to be one of the largest structures in the city, is located on the left cross of the Pollio Fountain opposite the Memmius Monument. It has been determined that there are columns on the sides of the temple, only the foundations of which have survived to this day. The remains of Domitian's statue are parts of the head and one arm.
Temple of Serapis:: The Temple of Serapis, one of the most interesting buildings in Ephesus, is right behind the Library of Celsus. It is believed that the temple, which was converted into a church during the Christian era, was built by the Egyptians. As the Temple of Serapis in Turkey, the other temple in Bergama is more well-known because it is among the Seven Churches in Hrsitiyanlik Dec.
Church of Mary: The Church of Mary (Consul Church), the place where the 431st Consul Meeting was held, is the first church built in the name of Mary. It is located to the north of Liman Hamam. It is among the first Seven Churches in the Christian religion.Dec.
St. Basilica of St. Jean: In the central part of the 6-domed basilica, built by the Byzantine Emperor Iustinian the Great and one of the largest structures of that period, at the bottom, St. John, the favorite apostle of Jesus, is located. It is claimed that the tomb of Jean (John) has been found, but no findings have been found yet. Here St. There is also a monument erected in the name of Jean. This church, which is considered very important for Christians, is located in the Ayasuluk Castle and there is a treasury building and a baptistery to the north.
Upper Agora and Basilica: Built by Emperor Augustus, it is the place where official meetings and stock market transactions are held. It is in front of the Odeion.
Octagon: It is a monumental tomb belonging to Cleopatra's sister.
Odeon: Ephesus had a bicameral administration. One of them, the meetings of the Advisory Council, were held in this structure, which was closed on time, and concerts were given. it has a capacity of 1,400 people. For this reason, the structure is also called a Bouleterion.
Prytaneion (City Hall): Prytan served as the mayor of the city. His biggest task was to ensure that the city fire, which symbolizes the immortality of the city inside this structure with thick columns, did not go out. Prytan had undertaken this task on behalf of Hestia, the Goddess of the City. Statues of gods and emperors were lined up around the hall. The statues of Artemis in the Ephesus museum were found here and then brought to the museum. The buildings next to it were reserved for the official guests of the city.
Marble Street: It is the street extending from the library square to the theater.
Domitian Square: Located to the north of the Domitian Temple, there is a structure thought to be the Pollio Fountain and a hospital to the east of the square, and the Memmius Monument on the street to the north.
There are two entrances to Ephesus: the Magnesia Gate (Upper Gate) and the Eastern Gymnasium. One of them is the Magnesia Gate on the Way to the House of Mary, which is the eastern gate of the fortification walls around the city. The Eastern Gymnasium is located right next to the Magnesia Gate at the foot of Mount Fair. Gymnasium is a school of the Roman Age.
Heracles Gate: This gate, which was built at the end of the Roman Era, has turned Kuretler Street into a pedestrian path. It got this name because of the reliefs of Heracles, the God of Strength, on its front facade.
Mazeus Mitridatis (Agora South) Gate: It was built before the library, during the time of Emperor Augustus. From the gate, one passes to the Commercial Agora (Lower Agora).
Monumental Fountain: The square in front of the Odeion is the "State Agora" (Upper Agora) of the city. Right in the middle of it was the temple of the Egyptian gods (Isis). The Monumental Fountain, built by Laecanus Bassus in 80 BC, is located in the southwest corner of the State Agora. From here, Domitian Square and buildings clustered around this square, such as the Pollio Fountain, Domitian Temple, Memmius Monument and the Heracles Gate, can be reached.
Traianus Fountain: It is one of the two-storey monuments on the street. The sphere seen under the foot of the statue of Emperor Traianus standing in the middle symbolizes the world.
Heroon: It is a fountain structure built on behalf of Androklos, the legendary founder of Ephesus. The front part was changed during the Byzantine period.
Hillside Houses: The rich of the city lived in multi-storey houses built on terraces. These houses, which are the most beautiful of the peristyle house type, were in the comfort of modern houses. The walls are covered with marble cladding and frescoes, and the floor is covered with mosaics. All of the houses have a heating system and a hammam.
Grand Theater: Located at the end of Marble Street, the building is the largest open-air theater of the ancient world with a capacity of 24,000 people. The very ornate and three-storey stage building has been completely destroyed. The seating steps are three-part. Theater, St. It has been the venue for Paul's sermons.
Palace Structure, Stadium Street, Stadium and Gymnasium: The Byzantine palace and part of the street have been restored. The stadium in the form of a horseshoe is the place where sports games and competitions were held in ancient times. Gladiatorial games were also performed in the late Roman period. The Vedius Gymnasium next to the stadium is a bath-school complex. The Vedius Gymnasium is located at the northern end of the city, right next to the Byzantine walls.
Theater Gymnasium: The courtyard part of the large building, which has the function of both a school and a bathhouse, is open. Marble pieces belonging to the theater are sorted here for restoration purposes. Agora: It is an area measuring 110 x 110 meters, open in the middle, surrounded by porticos and shops. The agora was the commercial and cultural center of the city. Agora is the starting point of Marble Street.
Turkish bath and Public Toilet: It is one of the most important social structures of the Romans. There are cold, warm and warm parts. It was repaired during the Byzantine period. The public toilet structure, which has a pool in the middle, has also been used as a gathering place.
Liman Caddesi: Liman Caddesi (Arcadiane Caddesi), which stretches from the Grand Theater to the Ancient Harbor, which is completely filled today, with columns and marble floors on both sides, is the longest street in Ephesus. monuments were built on the 600 meter long street during the Christian period of the city. The Monument of the Four Apostles with four columns, each with a statue of one of the apostles, is almost in the middle of the street.
Liman Gymnasium and Liman Bath: It is a group of large buildings at the end of Liman Street. Part of it has been excavated.
John's Castle:: There are glass and water cisterns in the castle. It is the highest point around Ephesus.[12] Also, the hill where this church is located is the first residential area of the Ancient City of Ephesus.[13]
