Ephesus

If we forego the ancient history of the Ephesus area – the Neolithic occupation dating to 8,000 years ago and the Mycenaean settlement nearby – we start with quite an astonishing story. Being fascinated by paranormal events and unusual phenomena, I find it quite exciting that the origins of Ephesus seem to lie with a prediction made by the Oracle of Delphi. Androklos, son of Kadros, the Athenian king, wanted to establish new cities. The Oracle, renowned for giving such predictions, told him, “The fish will jump, the boar will flee, and there you will establish a city having a bright future.” When Androklos left for Anatolia he searched many places and could find none suitable, but one day when he was resting and fish were being cooked, the oil from the pan spat, the fish jumped out of the pan and with the fish went the flames which started a fire in nearby bushes. The boar that was hiding in the bushes started to run away and Androklos mounted his horse, gave chase and killed the boar… And thus the Ionian city of Ephesus was born.

The first documented information about Ephesus dates from the 7th Century BC whereby the city was involved in defending itself several times in battles with neighbouring cities. In 645 BC the city was even defended from an invading Russian army, the Cimmerians. Sometime around 550 BC (the date is uncertain) the city was captured by the Lydian king Croesus. He gave money to the city and also implemented the building of a temple. That temple was to become the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

In 546 BC Ephesus was conquered by the Persians, but Ionian revolts were frequent between 499 and 493 BC. During this time the city was used as a military base, and in 494 BC the Ephesians killed all the people in Chios, who had survived the battle of Lade, because both Chios and Miletus were powerful port cities that were trade rivals of Ephesus.

By 454 BC Ephesus joined the Delian League under rule from Athens, but then supported Sparta in the Peloponnesian War between 431 and 404 BC, and joined the rebellion against Athens in 412 BC. For its military support, Ephesus was transformed into a military headquarters by the Spartan king Agesilaus when threats from the Persians were made around 403 BC… but in 394 BC Ephesus joined the Maritime League of Conon against Sparta. The city was then captured by the Spartans in 387 BC and given back to the Persians. Confused? Hell, yes!

Syrphax, a Persian dictator, was killed by the advancing Alexander the Great, who conquered the city in 334 BC. Fifty years of prosperity followed for Ephesus, and Alexander offered to assist in the renovation of the Temple of Artemis, which had been burned and badly damaged previously. His offer was turned down by the Ephesians, who stated that “it wouldn’t be appropriate for one god to build a temple for another god”.

The bad news is that all of the above occurred in the original city of Ephesus, located some five miles away from the current tourist city, which has Greco-Roman origins. In fact the Temple of Artemis is a couple of miles away from the northern entrance of modern-day Ephesus, as the crow flies.

So, the Ephesus that tourists visit today was moved from its original location between 286 and 281 BC by one of Alexander the Great’s generals, Lysimachus. Under Hellenistic rule Ephesus seems to have enjoyed its most prosperous years, but more upheaval was to follow. In 189 BC, when the Romans defeated the Syrian king Antiochus, Ephesus was under rule of the kingdom of Pergamum. In 133 BC, however, both Pergamum and Ephesus were handed over to the Romans themselves by the last will and testament of king Attalus III, after his death.

Many of the western Anatolian cities rebelled against Roman rule on the orders of Mithridates II, King of Pontus, but such was the revenge of the Romans that many Ephesians died and even those who took refuge in the Temple of Artemis were killed (in ancient times it was agreed that anyone taking refuge in a temple could not come to harm, rather like that of today’s political or diplomatic immunity, so this act was an outrage). On top of that, Lucius Cornelius Sulla punished the city further by levying heavy taxes on the occupants. What was to follow, however, was a period of peace, prosperity and expansion under the rule of Augustus, and Ephesus became one of the most important cities in Roman Asia. The building of the triumphal arch in 3 BC and the aqueduct, which was finished in 14 AD, meant the city had become the largest and most important in the Roman Empire in Anatolia.

Christianity was now spreading rapidly across the Roman Empire, but before it could evolve into the Byzantine era, first was outright opposition to the new religion by the population. In 57 AD a huge riot broke out in the equally massive Ephesus theatre, and one can only imagine the turmoil that such changes to people’s perceptions of reality can bring. Nothing in today’s society could ever match such upheavals.

The house in which the Virgin Mary spent her last days is very close to the main city of Ephesus, and also close by is the place where John the Evangelist died. Ephesus is also mentioned in the Bible as one of the Seven Churches of Asia.

In 262 AD Ephesus city, along with the Temple of Artemis, was sacked by the Goths. The city never recovered and never returned to its former glory, but a short while later several new buildings were erected by Emperor Constantine I. In 431 AD the Third Ecumenical Council agreed at the Church of Mary in Ephesus that the Virgin Mary should be accepted as the mother goddess, thus removing the teachings of Nestorius.

By the beginning of the Middle Ages the port that was once the main centre of international trade silted up, and the importance of Ephesus was greatly reduced. When Ephesus was conquered by the Seljuks in 1090 it had already been reduced to a relatively small town, and by the 14th Century, after a brief revival under the Aydinogullari Emirate, Ephesus was finally abandoned.

Ephesus’ place in history is such that it is considered the best ancient city in the world, and also the best preserved. Many of the most famous scientists and artists of history are associated with the great city, including Artemidorus, Callinus, Hipponax, Heraldeitus, Parrhasius and Zenodotus.

My visit to Ephesus was on Friday 13 March, 2015. The day was overcast but relatively warm. Although there were plenty of tourists, it was just at the start of the season and wasn’t the full packed city one would expect in the high season, and for this some very good photographs were taken without tourists in the way. This would be almost impossible to achieve in the high season. Ephesus is a must-see for any person interested in ancient history, and ranks along side Pergamum and Troy as top attractions on the western Turkey circuit.

Please note that tours tend to start at the top of the hill, at the southern entrance. This is so that tourists can walk down the steep hill of Curetes Street and exit at the northern entrance. As I was travelling by car and entered through the northern entrance, my personal tour was done “backwards”. Therefore, as will be shown in my photos, information boards will often appear after the series of photos of a particular place or building. The exception to this is the roofed housing complex where there is only one entrance within the main site. There are nearly 400 photos in this set, I hope you enjoy them!

References:

Atila Akan, I; Ephesus, Priene, Miletus, Didyma; New edition; Guney Kartpostal, Antalya; 2014

http://www.livius.org/person/croesus/

http://www.allaboutturkey.com/croesus.htm

http://www.ancient.eu/croesus/

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/143732/Croesus

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/36816/Temple-of-Artemis

http://www.sparta.net/

http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/Aegean/Ephesus/efes_site/index.html

http://www.kusadasi.biz/ephesus/