Ephesus #2

Ephesus is an ancient city in western Turkey that is well known as one of the best preserved cities of antiquity.

"Harbor Street is the grand boulevard of Ephesus, leading from the city’s now dry port to the Grand Theater. Built-in the 1st century BC, this street received travelers from throughout the Roman Empire, from common sailors and merchants to Marc Antony and Cleopatra. During the Roman-era, the port of Ephesus was one of the busiest in the world, the crossroads of trade between Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Disembarking from their ship, sailors would have walked up the marble blocks paving the street, past the Harbor Baths and the Church of Mary, before walking underneath the grand Harbor Gate. The Gate was a triumphal archway, with 3 gates under arches supported by 4 Corinthian columns; after Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, statues of 4 apostles were placed atop these columns.

Walking towards the heart of the city, visitors would be on the broad street, 11 meters wide and 530 meters long, passing porticos (covered walkways) supported by columns, where traders and merchants would sell their goods; statues were often placed between the columns. The visitors might hear cheering coming from the sports arena to the north of Harbor Street or the commotion from the Commercial Agora to the south.

Walking at night, people would see one of the rarest sights in the ancient world: street lighting. Harbor Street was one of just three streets in the Roman Empire to have street lights, the other two being in Rome and Antioch. Pits for tall torches were carved into the marble and then the torch was held in place with a rope tied to iron tie-offs secured to the marble."

"Ephesus was a city in ancient Greece on the coast of Ionia, southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in the 10th century BC on the site of the former Arzawan capital by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists. During the Classical Greek era, it was one of twelve cities that were members of the Ionian League. The city came under the control of the Roman Republic in 129 BC.

The city was famous in its day for the nearby Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), which has been designated one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Its many monumental buildings included the Library of Celsus and a theatre capable of holding 24,000 spectators.

Ephesus was also one of the seven churches of Asia cited in the Book of Revelation, the Gospel of John may have been written there and it was the area where the female warrior Amazons began (prior to the founding of Ephesus). The city was destroyed by the Goths in 263, and although it was rebuilt, its importance as a commercial center declined as the harbor was slowly silted up by the Küçükmenderes River. In 614, it was partially destroyed by an earthquake."

Posted by jimsawthat on 2022-03-30 02:59:23

Tagged: , ruins , Selçuk , small town , Turkey , Ephesus , Harbor Street