Listed 3 sub titles with search on: Archaeological sites for destination: "EFESSOS Ancient city TURKEY".
Region: Ionia
Periods: Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine
Type: Fortified city and port
Summary: An important Ionian city and later seat of the Roman governor
of Asia Minor.
Physical Description:
Ephesos was originally established at the base of Mount
Pion, on a natural harbor at the delta of the Cayster river. The second site,
the unfortified late Archaic and Classical city was farther inland, closer to
the location of modern Selcuk. With the exception of some Archaic graves, there
has been little exploration of the Archaic or Classical settlements. The location
selected by Lysimachos at the beginning of the 3rd century B.C. is represented
by the ruins visible today. Hellenistic Ephesos was planned on a grid system at
the W base of Mt. Pion and in the narrow valley S of Mt. Pion and NW of Mt. Koressos.
The city was enclosed by massive fortification walls reaching a height of 10 m
and extending over a distance of 9.6 km. The ancient harbor lay to the NW of the
city center and was approached by a broad, straight avenue. This 600 m long avenue
was provided, at the start of the 5th century A.D., with flanking porticoes and
mosaic sidewalks, marble pavement, and 100 street lamps. The harbor area was dominated
by a large gymnasium and bath complex, warehouses, and a long narrow building,
thought to have been a grain exchange. The city's center, at the E end of the
long avenue (the Arcadian Way), contained the 24,000 seat theater, the commercial
or lower agora, the Library of Celsus, and possibly the official residence of
the Roman governor. A non-aligned major street (the Street of Curetes or the Marble
Way) follows a winding route between Mt. Pion and Mt. Koressos to the upper agora
(the State Agora) and the Magnesian Gate. This section of the city contained the
East Gymnasium, Baths of Varius, the Bouleuterion, the Prytaneion, and most of
the temples, monuments, fountains and other public buildings of the city. In the
main part of the city, between the lower and the upper agora, the Street of Curetes
separates luxurious residential houses to the SW from the brothel and public baths
and latrine to the the NE. At the extreme N of the city was a fourth large gymnasium
and the Roman stadium. On the lower NE slope of Mt. Pion, beyond the city walls,
are a rustic sanctuary of the Mother Goddess and the Christian shrine of the Seven
Sleepers. From the Magnesian Gate a sacred way led to the Artemision, 1 km to
the NE. The structures at this sanctuary consisted of the monumental temple to
Artemis and a single large altar.
Description:
Traditionally, Androklos, a son of the legendary king Kodros
of Athens, led a colony of Ionian Greeks to found Ephesos at the mouth of the
Cayster river. The Ionians apparently settled peacefully among the local inhabitants
and integrated the worship of Artemis into the local cult of Cybele. The new fortified
Greek city was established on the shore at the base of Mount Pion, ca. 1 km W
of the Cybele cult center. The foundation date for the Cybele sanctuary is unknown,
but the transformation of Cybele into an Asian Artemis appears to have been completed
by as early as the 8th century B.C. The sanctuary, which became known as the Artemision,
underwent three building phases between the 8th and 6th centuries B.C. before
the Archaic temple of ca. 560-500 B.C. was constructed. The Archaic temple of
Artemis was the largest building in the Archaic Greek world and the first large
structure to be built entirely in marble. In 356 B.C. the temple was burnt by
a madman. The Ephesians rebuilt the temple in the original dimensions, but on
a higher base. The greatest sculptors of the age worked on the temple and it was
completed nearly a century later. The temple of Artemis was one of the seven wonders
of the ancient world. The sanctuary of Artemis was plundered in A.D. 263 by the
Goths and extensively quarried for building stone in the early Christian era.
The city of Ephesos, which benefited from its association with the sanctuary and
from its favorable position at the center of the W coast of Asia Minor, flourished
as a result of trade between the Aegean and the large asian cities of the interior.
In the 7th century B.C. Ephesos fell to the Cimmerians and in the 6th century
it came under the control of the Lydians. King Croesus demolished the city walls
and forced the inhabitants of Ephesos to build a new unfortified city farther
inland. After the fall of Croesus, Ephesos, with the rest of Ionia, became part
of the Persian Empire. Following the defeat of the Persians in Greece, Ephesos
became a member of the Delian League. The King's Peace of 386 B.C. caused the
city to revert to Persian control for a short period until the conquest of Asia
Minor by Alexander the Great. At ca. 290 B.C. Lysimachos compelled the Ephesians
to abandon their site and to construct a new fortified city at the shore, in the
area between Mounts Pion and Coressus. Lysimachos' city included over 9 km of
fortification walls, a sheltered harbor, and extensive wharves and warehouses.
Today the site is 5 km from the sea due to the silting action of the Cayster river.
During the 3rd and 2nd centuries B.C. control of Ephesos changed hands frequently.
In 133 B.C. it was part of the Attalid kingdom given over to Rome. Ephesos became
the capital of the Roman Province of Asia and one of the largest and most important
commercial centers of the eastern Empire. Ephesos was granted special honors by
Rome and many monumental buildings and architectural adornments were added to
the city. Through Roman engineering the harbor was kept open despite the silting
of the river. In the 3rd and 4th centuries A.D. the prosperity of Ephesos declined
with the decline of Roman power. Plague and raids by the Goths were followed by
raids by the Arabs. The harbor was allowed to silt up and trade was greatly weakened.
In the 4th century A.D. Christianity was adopted as the state religion and two
important early Church councils were held at Ephesos in the 5th century A.D. By
the 6th century A.D. most of the inhabitants had moved to the more secure position
at Ayasluk, near the former site of the Artemision.
Exploration:
The location of the Artemision was discovered by J.T. Wood
in the mid 19th century and his work there was followed by Hogarth at the beginning
of the 20th century. Austrian excavations at the Artemision and at Ephesos began
first in 1896 and continue today.
Donald R. Keller, ed.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains 187 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
Tel: +43 1 4277271-01
Fax: +43 1 4277 9271
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