TURKIYE: Ephesus

Ephesus's history goes back. W-A-Y back. 

It's origins involve myths and legends. Facts can date it to before 700BC. 

It is one of the 7th wonders of the world and a UNESCO World heritage site since 2015.

Ephesus is located on the western shores of modern day Turkiye, where the Aegean Sea meets the former estuary of the River Kaystros. At one time it was considered the most important Greek trading centre in the Mediterranean. At another time it was the Roman Empire's capital of their province in Asia. It was considered second only to Rome as a cosmopolitan centre for culture and commerce and was one of the most populated and affluent cities in the world. 

Over the millenniums there were many battles for it, it was conquered, changed hands and changed religions many times. I'm not going to go into the ancient history, religion and battles. That's what Google and plenty of other sources are for. 

So why did such a thriving city become deserted?

There were a lot of political and religious reasons, but there were also reasons attributed to nature. 

For instance, silt caused the land to move further out, and that meant the port became further and further from the city centre. 

Then, there were numerous earthquakes, and in the 6th century AD a big earthquake struck the area, causing more decline of the city.

Fast forward a few more centuries, and by the end of the 15th century, Ephesus was abandoned by the Ottoman Empire. 

Archeologists have been unearthing some of the secrets since 1869.

A couple of highlights for me:

I found the Terrace Houses on the hillside, that had long ago belonged to the wealthy, fascinating. 

Excavation of the hillside began in 1960 and so far they have excavated 7 villas built on 3 terraces. They range in size from 1,000 sq ft (93 sq meters) to the biggest one over 9,000 sqft (900 sq meters). (Yes, I admit, we North Americans are obsessed with knowing the sq ft. of homes.) 

The complex dates back to 1st century AD and they were inhabited until about the 7th century AD. Each home was centered around a central courtyard that was open to the sky for light and ventilation. To keep the inhabitants safe the windows faced into the courtyard and not into the street. Rain water was collected either in a pool or well.

This home was the biggest home at over 9,000sq ft and had a courtyard, hall, dining room and a private basilica. 

All those boxes contain broken fragments of tile and marble, waiting to be put back together. 

The frescos on the walls give insight into the lives of the inhabitants. Note the pheasant and fish on the walls on the right - indicating the kitchen. 

This room was used for washing up - note the pipes for water. The water flowed down into the homes or they used wells. Each terrace home had running hot and cold water. Traces of bathrooms and bathtubs have been found. They also had heated floors!

A lot of the murals depicted everyday life for them - animals and gladiators. 

Mosaic floors are from the Roman period from the 1st century AD to 3rd century AD. 

The houses were abandoned after a major earthquake and tsunami in 262AD.

Down the road is the Celcus Library, built in 110AD and it was the 3rd largest library back in the day. It housed between 12,000 - 15,000 scrolls made of papyrus.

Historians believe it was built with an "exaggerated" entrance to make it look bigger than it was. They did this by making the centre columns larger than the end columns. It faced east to make the best use of morning light.

The Ephesus Theatre was built during the Greek period. It was then remodeled many times during the Roman period. It took 60 years to build. 

It seats 24,000 people and has standing room for another 1,000 people. It was the home for dramatic performances, political, economical and religious speeches, and, gladiator games. Fast forward to current day and performances are still staged here, including Elton John. 

Note to John: Tickets must be purchased on performance nights to enjoy the show.

A few more interesting notes before you nod off:

These are the men's public latrines that were built in the 1st century AD. There were marble benches running along 3 sides with a total of 48 seats. The latrines were designed for relaxing, after nature's calls were taken care of. The latrines were heated in the winter with  warm water from the baths, and cooled in the summer by a central pool. The drains in front held running water to clean the sponges that had been soaking in vinegar water. And that is about as  much detail as you're going to get from me. 

There was a brothel located prominently in town at the crossroads of 2 major streets. There was also a tunnel conveniently located from the library to the brothel. (Who do you think went to the library?) As a port town, there were also a lot of sailors who spoke different languages. This stone indicated the way to the brothel with a left foot pointing the way and indicating it was on the left side of the road, the Queen of hearts and money bags. There are those that say it is the first form of advertising. I consider it to be early day iconography. 

Our guide spent the first 3 years of his guiding career as one of the "grunts" digging in the hot sun looking for signs of former life. He said to us, as he scanned the surrounding hills around the excavated city, that a city that was very prosperous and the size of Ephesus, there had to be a lot more than 7 rich homes in the hills. He pointed to posts in the distances and told us they were markers for where they believe the city spread to. 

I am sure there are a lot more opportunities for budding archeologists, now and far into the future, to continue finding more treasures.

The city has been around for numerous millenniums, so, I guess they can wait a couple more decades or centuries to be uncovered.