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Greek EPHESOS, the most important Greek city
in Ionian Asia Minor, the ruins of which lie near the modern
village of Selcuk in western Turkey.
In
Roman times it was situated on the northern slopes of the
hills Coressus and Pion and south of the Cayster (Küçükmenderes)
River, the silt from which has since formed a fertile plain
but has caused the coastline to move ever farther west. The
Temple of Artemis, or Diana, to which EPHESUS owed much of
its fame and which seems to mark the site of the classical
Greek city, was probably on the seaboard when it was founded
(about 600 BC), one mile east by northeast of Pion (modern
Panayir Da{g hacek}). In Roman times a sea channel was
maintained with difficulty to a harbour well west of Pion.
By late Byzantine times this channel had become useless, and
the coast by the mid-20th century was three miles farther
west. Ephesus commanded the west end of one great
trade route into Asia, that along the Cayster valley, and
had easy access to the other two, along the Hermus (Gediz)
and the Maeander (Büyükmenderes) rivers.
 Ephesus
2000 Site aims to represent ancient city EPHESUS, which was
a premiere Hellenistic and Roman city deserving much
attention because of the scientific, cultural, artistic and
philosophical works that it left behind and touristic places
around today' s Ephesus. All text of the site is written by
Selahattin Erdemgil, Director of Ephesus Museum, and Mr.
Erdemgil assisted whole work as a domain expert. All
important places of Ephesus were photographed using IPIX
technology which produces 360° x 360° virtual photographs.
Hence one can step inside of the IPIX photographs and view
present day of Ephesus from many angles which can help one
visualize its glorious past.
In
the Ephesus part of site, you can join to a touristic city
tour using the Ephesus map and access large amount of visual
materials and knowledge on each point of the tour.
In
the Religious Sites of the site, one can find everything
about Council Church, the House of Virgin Mary, St.John's
church which are the symbols of the Spread of Christianity
and Isabey Mosque whics is one of the best example of
Seljukian architectural.
In
Ephesus Museum part, one can access halls of Ephesus Museum,
look and learn about the foundings of Ephesus excavation
which was initiated by J.T. Wood in 1861.
In
Tourist Places part, one can find important touristic places
around Ephesus and information about hotels, travel
agencies, shopping opportunities in these places.
THE
FOUNDING OF THE CITY
 According
to the famous historian Herodotes, the city was founded by
Androklos, son of Kodros, the King of Athens. Around 1000
B.C., immigrants from Greece came to the western coasts of
Anatolia for trading. According to legend, Androklos was one
of them. His father, before entering a war with one of the
neighbouring cities, went to a seer and asked who would win
the war. The seer answered, "The army of the king who
dies will win the war." After hearing this, Kodros let
the enemy soldiers kill him. To avoid a struggle with his
brothers for the throne, Androklos began to search for a
city to call his own, after the death of his father. He went
to the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, which was considered the
center of oracles at the time and inquired about the most
suitable location of the city that he was planning to
establish. The seer gave a mysterious answer: "A fish
and a boar will show you the place." Androklos did not
understand this explanation and sailed off across the Aegean
Sea, eventually arriving at the coastline where Ephesus was
to be. To cook a fish they had caught, they lit a fire; but
the bushes nearby also caught on fire, and a boar, which had
been hiding in the bushes, ran out terrified. Seeing this,
Androklos pursued the boar on his horse and shot him down.
Later he remembered what the seer had said, and they
established the city in the area where the boar was killed.
THE
EARLY PERIOD
The
city was first established in 6000 B.C. At that time, the
plain on which the town of Selcuk is located was a protected
bay with its east, south and northern sides surrounded by
hills. On the shores of the bay were prehistoric
settlements, one of which is located in the tumulus called
Çukuriçi. This tumulus, which covers an area of
approximately 4000 square meters, was on the southern edge
of this bay, 400 meters from the Magnesia Gate. During
excavations here by the Museum Directorate, Neolithic ruins
dating back to 6000 B.C. were discovered. The buildings of
the tumulus had walls of sun-dried bricks and polished
grindstones. Obsidian and bronze cutting and drilling tools,
arrow points, sickle blades, and stone axes were found as
well. The bones of many game animals and birds, as well as
mussel and oyster shells were also discovered. Thus, the
settlers of Çukuriçi Tumulus are known to have been
hunters and fishermen. The bay gradually filled with silt
carried by the River Kaistros and the Marnas brook, coming
from southeast of the city. In this way, the tumulus, which
was once by the sea, now lies five kilometers from the
shoreline.
THE
MYCENEAN PERIOD
The
second important prehistoric settlement in Ephesus is on
Ayasuluk Hill. Until 1990, the oldest of the remains
exhibited in the Ephesus Museum were from a Mycenaean tomb
that was discovered during the construction of the parking
area in front of the castle. After these remains, dating
back to 1400-1300 B.C., were discovered, the question of
whether a Mycenaean settlement might be under the hill was
put forward. Because such a settlement was not found, a
theory was proposed that perhaps the tomb belonged to a
Mycenaean trader who had come to the area temporarily.
Finally, in 1990, archeologists from the Museum found dishes
shaped by hand and walls of sun-dried bricks dating back to
3000 B.C. These were not the remains that they were looking
for, but this finding filled in an important gap in the
history of Ephesus. Hittite writings mention
"Aphasas," as capital of the Ahiyava Kingdom.
Because the location of Aphasas was unknown, linguists
proposed that the word "Ephesus" had been derived
from "Aphasas." Scientists now believe that these
ruins belong to the capital of the Ahiyava Kingdom, Aphasas.
When further excavations were performed just east of the
Aphasas ruins, the Mycenaean settlement was finally found as
well. The Aphasas and Mycenaean settlement excavations are
still in progress.
THE LYDIAN PERIOD
When
immigrants from the west arrived in the region, they met the
Kharians and Lelegs peoples. Even though they initially
quarreled among themselves, eventually they assimilated. The
Kharians are the first known people group of Anatolia.
Others coming from the west came not to settle, but to
establish trade colonies here. The history of Ephesus from
the tenth to the eighth centuries B.C. is unclear because
remains from this period have not been found. Later, the
city was attacked by Cimmerians from Thrace, who occupied
the city and dismantled the Temple of Artemis. In the sixth
century, the famous King of Lydia, Kroisos, attacked
Ephesus. The citizens of Ephesus, thinking that Artemis
could surely protect them, laid a rope between the temple
and the city and believed that the Lydian army would be
unable to cross it. The army of Kroisos did enter the city,
but the King had a friendly approach - contrary to the fears
of the citizens, he aided the construction of the archaic
Temple of Artemis, which had been destroyed earlier. As a
gift to the city, he had carved columns, the Columna
Caelata, made, which stood along the front of the temple. On
one column found during excavations by J. T. Wood in 1868
are the words, "Presented by King Kroisos." This
can be seen in the British Museum.
THE IONIAN STATES
During
the rule of the Lydians, Persians began to attack Ephesus
from the east. The Lydian army was eventually defeated and
King Kroisos taken prisoner. The Persian King Kyros wanted
Kroisos and his throne to be burned on a pyre, and this
event is pictured on many vases from that period. At the
moment the fire was lit, Kroisos cried out, "Ah
Solon!" Kyros, who did not understand his cry, had them
extinguish the fire and asked for the meaning of what he had
said. "When my country was at its height of prosperity,
and I was very rich, I asked the Athenian, Solon, to come to
Sardes, my capital. I showed him my palace and my treasures,
and asked, "Tell me Solon, could there be anyone
happier than I am?" Solon replied, "I cannot say
if you are happy or not until I see you as you're dying.'
Then Kroisos declared, "Now I understand the truth of
your words." After hearing this, Kyros decided not to
burn Kroisos; and made Kroisos his adviser. The Persians
first invaded Sardes; then starting with Phokai and going
south, their strong army under the command of Harpagos
invaded all the Ionic cities. In 546 B.C., the Persians
united Lydia, Ionia, and Pamphylia under the name 'Ionian
States' and made Ephesus the capital city of this province.
The chief administrator, the satrap lived here, and the city
began to grow, depending strongly on foreign trade. The
Persians collected annual taxes, and in addition,
conscripted soldiers and appropriated shipping vessels from
the Ephesians when necessary. In the sixth century B.C.,
Priene, Kolophon, and Smyrna were at their summit in science
and art, and were added to the group of 'Ionian States'
under the Persians. The Ephesian poet, Kallinos, and the
scholars Heraclitus and Hipponaks also lived during this
period. Many gold, ivory, amber, and ceramic works of art
from this period have been discovered during temple
excavations, where they had been presented as gifts.
THE IONIAN REVOLT
The
tyrannical rule of the satraps continued during the reigns
of the Persian kings Kambises and Darelos who succeeded
Kyros. Citizens in the Ionian cities had become restless,
and finally revolted under the leadership of Miletos.
Historians call this the Ionian Revolt. The rebels gathered
in Ephesus, and traveling up the Kaistros River valley,
reached Sardes and burned the city down. The houses, which
were mostly made of wood and straw, burned down easily. The
Temple of Kybele was destroyed as well. The Ionian Revolt
ended when the Ionian naval force defeated the rebels in
front of Lade Island near Miletos in 494 B.C. The Persians
invaded the revolting cities once more, but this time they
plundered and completely burned down the cities. Because
Ephesus had not played an important role in this revolt, it
was spared from total destruction.
THE PERIOD OF ALEXANDER
The
Macedonian emperor Alexander the Great, after unifying
Macedonia and Greece, started his sweep through Anatolia
after passing through the Dardanelles with a strong army.
The Persians gathered by the Granikos River. The Satrap of
Ionia, Spithridates, came from Ephesus to join the resisting
army. The historian Arrianos, transcriber of Alexander the
Great's diary, called this the 'Cavalier's War.' During the
battle when the satrap was about to thrust his sword into
Alexander, he was killed by the spear of a Macedonian
soldier. Alexander the Great, winning the war against the
Persians in 334 B.C., went to Sardes, then on to Ephesus,
where he met no resistance. In fact, the citizens greeted
him as a saviour. He wanted to meet the expenses of the
reconstruction of the Temple of Artemis, which had been
burned down by the madman Herostratos during the night, on
the exact date of Alexander's birth. According to mythology,
because the goddess Artemis had gone to help with the birth
of Alexander, the temple had been left unprotected when it
was set on fire. The Ephesians refused his financial help,
saying that it was inappropriate for 'a god to make a temple
for worship to another god.'
THE
ERA OF THE GENERALS
After
the death of Alexander the Great, the city of Ephesus was
ruled by several of his generals; and in 287 B.C., General
Lysimachos began to rule the city. The city was
reestablished in the valley between Mt. Panayýr and
Mt. Koressos with streets laid out in a grid, a Hippodomic
plan. He encircled the city with strong walls and changed
its name to that of his wife, Arsinoe. This name lasted only
a very short time however. When General Lysimachos invited
the citizens living around the Temple of Artemis to move to
the new city, no one came. He thereupon stopped up the
drainage ditches to flood the old city, and thus forced them
to finally move. Arsinoe was a schemer, and knowing that
after her husband's death, his son Agothocles from his first
wife would become king, she started rumors that Agothocles
had made plans to kill his father. King Lysimachos believed
this and had his son killed. After this, the first wife and
some of his commanders were afraid of being killed as well,
so they took refuge with Seleucos. Seleucos then attacked
the territories of Lysimachos with a strong army. General
Lysimachos was defeated and died in the battle at Korou
Pedion, east of Manisa. In 281 B.C., Ephesus was in the
hands of the Seleucosians. After this, Ephesus changed hands
between the Ptolemaiosians and the Seleucosians several
times, and with the Treaty of Apameia, Ephesus was given to
the Kingdom of Pergamon in 188 B.C. In 133 B.C., Rome began
its rule when the Kingdom of Pergamon was conquered.
THE
PROVINCE OF ASIA
Emperor
Augustus, combining the area known as Pamphylia, between
Antalya and Alanya, with Ionia, founded the Province of
Asia. Ephesus was named capital of the province, and thus
became the most important city and trading center of Asia,
and the permanent location of the Roman magistrate. Trade
improved rapidly, and because of its sheltered seaport,
goods coming from the interior of Anatolia could be easily
exported to Mediterranean countries. The city reached its
climax in wealth and government, with favorable reforms
having been made in Roman laws. The term of the magistrate
was reduced to one year, and the magistrates who had been
consuls before, could be appointed to Ephesus. So, many
including the Emperors Antonius Pius and Pupienus, were
appointed to Ephesus as magistrates. The city continued to
advance. The Province of Asia and the Province of Africa
became the most important states of the Empire.
Approximately two hundred thousand to two hundred fifty
thousand farmers, traders from abroad, Roman citizens,
sailors, soldiers, artists, and slaves were living in the
city. There were pagans, Jews, believers in the Egyptian
religions and Christians among them.
THE
SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY
Christianity
became firmly established in Ephesus within a short time.
From 37 to 42 A.D., Christians were driven away from
Jerusalem. The Apostle Paul first came to Ephesus in 53 A.D.
Staying for three years in the region, he taught in the
synagogues and established the church. An Ephesian named
Timothy was Paul's helper. The new teaching continued to
find followers, and this irritated artisans like the jeweler
Demetrius, who produced silver statues of Artemis. In time,
he and others feared that no customers would remain to
purchase their silver idols. Finally, they gathered in the
Theatre with other citizens and began shouting, "Great
is Artemis of Ephesus!" This caused quite an uproar in
the city, and even though Paul wanted to face them, his
followers didn't let him do so. Finally, city officials
silenced the protestors, advising them that if they had any
complaints they should be officially taken to the city
courts. Finally Paul left Ephesus for other destinations on
his missionary journey, but years later, when he was
traveling from Macedonia to Jerusalem, he met the leaders of
the church in Ephesus at Miletos for a final farewell.
Although St. Luke does not mention the Apostle John in his
Acts of the Apostles, it is believed that John was in
Ephesus at the time. In the Book of John, when Jesus Christ
was on the cross he turned to St. John and, pointing to his
mother Mary said, "Man, here's your mother." Then
turning to the Virgin Mary he said, "Woman, here is
your son." and thus entrusted her to St. John's care.
Since persecution in Jerusalem made it difficult for
Christians to live there, many believe that St. John took
the Virgin Mary with him when he went to Ephesus. For a time
they stayed in a house near the Museion, which is now known
as the Council Church. Later she moved to her house on Mt. Bülbül
and lived the rest of her life there. Meanwhile St. John
tried to strengthen the Church of Ephesus and wrote his
books of the Bible while here. When he died, according to
his will, he was buried on Ayasuluk Hill, which was a
graveyard or necropolis. A wooden basilica was built over
his tomb in the fourth century A.D. In the sixth century,
with help from Emperor Justinian and his wife, Theodora, a
larger basilica was built, the remains of which we see
today. From 1920 to 1921, the Greek archeologist, Sotiriu,
removed a skeleton from the tomb during his excavations.
Many Christians consider this an important site.
THE
DECLINE OF EPHESUS
The
harbour of Ephesus was the key to the city's wealth and
trade, but silt carried by the River Kaistros (the Small
Menderes River) began to cause problems during the reign of
Emperor Hadrian, from 117 to 138 A.D. By the fourth century,
the harbour could hardly be used. Commerce decreased
significantly, and Ephesus found itself facing an
unavoidable decline. In the sixth century, by reducing the
area enclosed by the city walls, they attempted to simplify
its defences. But when even this proved inadequate for their
defence, they built a citadel on St. John's Hill. Much of
the population moved inside the walls. In the seventh and
eighth centuries, Arabian armies threatened the city. Caliph
Suleyman's armies reached Ephesus in 716. The ancient city
was completely abandoned by the tenth century, the remaining
people finding the village of Þirince, a few
kilometers to the east up in the hills, more suitable. When
Turks arrived at the beginning of the fourteenth century,
they found Ephesus completely in ruins with no inhabitants.
Later, when the Turkish Aydýnoðullarý
Dynasty ruled the region, the name of the city - inspired
from Hagios Theologos - was changed to 'Ayasuluk.' When the
famous traveler Bin Battuta visited Ayasuluk later in the
fourteenth century, he recorded that Ayasuluk was the most
prosperous city in western Anatolia. The population of the
city increased, the harbour was moved further to the west
and trade slowly developed again, with the additional help
from the consulates of Venice and Genoa. The Ýsabey
Mosque was built, and inns and baths adorned the city. In
shipyards that were here, Turks began to make war ships.
Later on, Izmir took over Ayasuluk's trading and cultural
activities, and the population decreased again. In the 19th
century, the Ayasuluk train station was built, as a service
for the people of Þirince. Ephesus had disappeared,
and on top of the once greatest city of the world, only figs
and tobacco were growing. After the Turkish Republic was
founded, Turkey's cultural riches began to be more highly
appreciated. When the potential for increased tourism was
also appreciated, the small town of Selçuk was established
nearby.
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