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Ephesus 341 pictures The city of Ephesus was first established on the shore of the bay at the point where Cayster river falls into the sea and on the slopes of Mt. Pion. In the Antique age, Ephesus was on the west of the great trade road passing through the Cayster valley extending to Asia and it was the beginning point of the road. The earliest information about Ephesus goes back to the middle of the 7^th century B.C. The neighboring Cimmerians who captured Magnesia tried to capture this place also, but they were not successful. Accordung to Strabon the Ephesians moved down to the valley and started to live there under the reign of the Persian satrap Cyros II. During the first years of the Ionians revolt which occurred between 499-493 B.C., this city was used as a base for an Ionian attack on the Persians in Sardes. When Alexander the Great captured the city in 334 B.C., Syrphaks was killed and thus, a period of affluence to last for fifty years started. After the death of Alexander the Great, Lysimachos who was one of the generals of Alexander became the ruler and he moved the city to the valley between Mt. Koressos and Mt. Pion between the years of 286-281 B.C. During the Hellenistic period Ephesus lived glorious days. When the Romans defeated the Syrian King Antiochos in 189 B.C., they left Ephesus to the Pergamese Kingdom. Ephesus came under the rule of Rome upon the will of the Pergamese King Attalos upon his death (133 B.C.). The building activities in Ephesus started with a series state of buildings, such as the arch of triumph built in the 3^rd century B.C., and the aqueduct built between 4-14 A.D. Temple of Domitian The temple was built in the name of Emperor Domitian during 81-96 A.D. This temple was the first one built in the time of the emperors in Ephesus. The temple was built on columns, a large statue of Domitian was found here. Odeon The Odeon was a place where the members of the city council, the rich Ephesians and the Curetes met and discussed the future of the city and also where concerts were held. It was built by P. Vedius Antonius and his wife Flavia Papiana who were rich Ephesians in the 2^nd century A.D. There are 1500 seats. Heracles Gate This gate, decorated with the reliefs of Heracles, was built during the 4^th century A.D. However, it is deemed for the Heracles reliefs to have been brought from an older building built in the 2^nd century A.D. Trajan Fountain The fountain, built in the name of Trajan at the beginning of the 2^nd century A.D., had columns with two stories and was decorated with various statues 12 meters high. Only the foot of the big statue of Trajan remains where the water flows. Pollio Fountain This fountain with a big restored arch above, was built by the rich Ephesian C. S. Pollio and his family in 97 A.D. With the big pool in front of it, the fountain had a monumental appearance, and together with the Water Palace it provided the water distribution for the city. Marble Road This road with a sewage system beneath remains from the Hellenistic period. The road beginning from the Koressos Gate and extending to the Celsus Library is covered with marble. On the right of this street there is a sign on the sidewalk indicating the place of the brothel. Temple of Hadrian There is a frieze of the goddess of Fortune, Fortuna, in the middle of the vault supported by four columns with Corinthian capitals in front of this temple built in honor of the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the 2^nd century A.D. On the semicircle in the back, the relief of Medusa is observed. A series of friezes are on the walls on both sides of this relief, of which the originals are in the museum. The subject of these friezes is the establishment story of Ephesus. Celsus Library Tiberius Julius Celsus was the General Governor of the Asian Province. Celsus who died at the age of seventy in 114 A.D. was put in the sarcophagus at the entrance of the agora in Ephesus. His son consul Tiberius Julius Apuila started to build a library on the tomb of his father. He was ill and it was completed by the grandson of Celsus in 125 A.D. The library having, 12,000 roll books during that period, was ruined and burned as a result of the invasion of the Goths in 265 A.D. Theater The enlargement of the theater which was first built in the Hellenistic period started during the rule of Emperor Claudius in 41-54 A.D. and it could have been completed during the rule of Emperor Trajan in 98-117 A.D. There is a stage building 18 meters tall with three stories. There are 24,500 seats. The orchestra is semicircular and there are water channels around it in order for the rain water to flow. Harbour Street The marble street extending between the grand theater and the harbour is 11 meters wide and 530 meters long. This street was named after Emperor Arcadius (395-408 A.D.) because it was repaired during his rule. Back to Turkey Index