Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey
- At October 27, 2023
- By Jessica
- In Travel
0
One of antiquity's best-preserved cities, Ephesus offers yet another look into the lives of the ancients. Many of its ruins have endured from the time Ephesus was one of the largest metropolises of the ancient world. Excavations reach back to the 10th century BC, when this city contained one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - the Temple of Artemis.
With a wonderful private tour guide recommended by friends, and glorious weather, we started our day at Ephesus. We visited the towering facade of the Library of Celsus.
The three faces of Medusa on the top protect the library. Medusa's "evil eyes" are believed to kill evil spirits. Apparently, it didn't work. All the scrolls were burned in the 4th century AD by invading Visigoths. Prior to that, it was the 3rd richest library of Ancient World with 12,000 volumes for 200 years. (The first was in Alexandria, Egypt with 200,000 volumes.)
Then the massive amphitheater - The Conrad of Yesteryear -that once sat 25,000 spectators:
250,000 people lived in Ephesus at the time. Only ten percent could afford tickets for the special events, Greek plays, and concerts. The flat part was the orchestra "pit," behind which was the stage. Recently, concerts starring Sting, Elton John, Yanni, and others have been staged there.
And next recently uncovered private two story residences adorned with frescoes:
Ephesus also holds an important place in Christianity. Here, St. John is said to have preached and Mary to have lived out her final days in a tiny stone house, although Mary's residency has never been proven.
British engineer John Turtle Wood discover the Temple of Artemis and, with in, Ephesus in 1869 while building the first railroad in Turkey for the Ottoman Empire. Like so many other ancient treasures, it was exported by the British and the Temple of Artemis now resides in the British Museum in London. The Turkish Government is fighting to get it back.
Speaking of the Turkish Government, national elections are on May 14th and the Turks we have spoken to are praying Erdogan gets the boot.
Back to Ephesus....only 1/3 of the site has been excavated. The finds are amazing. What a glimpse into history....again!
There is a clear theme emerging, a procession of Empires that rule the world for while, only to fall and diminish or disappear. The Egyptians, The Greeks, The Romans, The Ottomans, The Brits, with spurts from the Phoenicians, Persians, etc., etc. Are we programmed to self-destruct?
Our guide picked us up at the ship at Kusadasi port at 8:30 AM. En route to Ephesus she explained how the River Meander, the main source of fresh water at the time, brought silt to the area where the Sea had receded four miles creating naturally reclaimed land. Due to global warming the sea levels are expected to rise and cover this developed land with water in the future.
By the way, the River Meander is long and twisty with a slow water flow. It is the origin of our English verb to meander.
Kudasudi has a population of 150K. Seljuk, next to Ephesus, has 30K. The economy does not rely on tourism but on farming. The soil is very fertile from the rich silt deposits left by the River Meander. They grow mulberry trees to feed silk worms for rugs. Seljuk was part of the Silk Road. Chinese monks smuggled cocoons into Turkey and sold them to the Turks. So much for ascetic monks.
The wealthy Seljuk family is where Osman I was from. In 1299, Osman I founded the Ottoman Empire.
Many of you know this but Ertugrul: Resurrection was by far the best television series we have ever watched. It is about the history of the Turkish tribes and how they evolved into the Ottoman Empire. A Must Watch!
Ephesus is a Greco-Roman site. First built by the Greeks but completely destroyed by two earthquakes in 17 AD and 102 AD, respectively, it was completely rebuilt by the conquering Romans in 129 BC until the 3rd Century AD.
The city that exists today, with a few exceptions, is all Roman ruins. Classic Roman arches, standing solid thanks to gravity alone, abound.
Roman baths, both common for the social life of men only, and in the home for women, relied on clay pipes for running and heating water.
The public baths were comprised of three rooms:
The Tepidarium or warm section; the Caldarium or hot steam; and, the Frigidarium or cold section Tepid and frigid are both English words derived from Latin and the latter is the root for refrigerator.
In the 6th century, the Persians invaded and destroyed everything in their path. Then sickness, floods, earthquakes, and fire, finished the town off.
At the end of the 7th Century AD 80 percent of the population died from Malaria. Ephesus was abandoned. Later earthquakes destroyed the Roman constructions. Silt from the River Meander covered everything until the ruins were discovered by Wood in 1869.
The City Hall sits next to an amphitheater for meetings of Parliament (originally called the Bouleuterion or Place of the Bull = place of power.) Place of the Bull as a seat of government might have a different connotation now.
There were 450 senators. Ephesus was appointed the Roman capital for Asia Minor by Caesar Augustus in 27BC.
All of Ephesus was built by Egyptian slave labor.
Greek Gods and Goddeses were adopted by the Romans who gave them Latin names.
Hestia = Vesta
Artemis = Diana
Vestal virgins were nuns who protected the Temple of Hestia/Vesta.
There was a first century AD hospital with treatment rooms, needles, tweezers, and an inscription over its portal: "Death Cannot Enter."
And here is Fortuna, whose image has been made ubiquitous by Starbucks.
We bought out half the figs (for Eberhard) and halva (for Jessica) in Ephesus. Then visited a carpet factory for making those famous Turkish carpets. (Don't worry - we didn't buy any.)
Only Turkish carpets have double knots. A wool rug takes 4 months to weave. If silk 1.5 years. 420 knots per sq inch. Silk is 2nd strongest natural fiber in the world after spider webs. A silk caterpillar produces one mile of silk in two days to make his cocoon. 1 mile per cocoon.
Silk was invented 3000 years ago in China and produced since the 5th century in Turkey.
We ate a fabulous late lunch with local wine at the Seven Sages Winery. We ate like domuz = pigs in Turkish.
