Ephesus Ancient City- Author; Erentkdmr – Wikimedia

Top 10 Fascinating Facts about the City Of Ephesus


 

Ephesus was a city in ancient Greece located on the coast of Ionia. It is 3 kilometres southwest of the present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey.

The city of Ephus was built in the 10th century BC on the site of the former Arzawan capital by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists.

During the Classical Greek era, it was one of twelve cities that were members of the Ionian League. The city came under the control of the Roman Republic in 129 BC.

Moreover, it is an ancient city in Turkey’s Central Aegean region, near modern-day Selçuk. Its excavated remains reflect centuries of history, from classical Greece to the Roman Empire

1. Designated as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world

Ephesus ancient city- Author; Odysses- Wikimedia

 

The city was famous in its day for the nearby Temple of Artemis which was completed at around 550 BC.

The city of Ephesus has been designated one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Its many monumental buildings also included the Library of Celsus and a theatre that was capable of holding 24,000 spectators.

2. The City of Ephesus has such a rich ancient history

New Torah display- Photo by Taylor Wilcox on Unsplash

Ephesus was the recipient city of one of the Pauline epistles. That is, one of the seven churches of Revelation, as addressed in the Book of Revelation. Actually, the Gospel of John is believed to have been written here.

Unfortunatley, the city was destroyed by the Goths in 263. The Goths were a Germanic people who played a key role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe.

Although it was afterwards rebuilt, its importance as a commercial centre declined since the harbour was slowly silted up by theCayster river, a river south of Izmir, Turkey. In 614, it was partially destroyed by an earthquake.

3. It is also a popular  tourist attraction site

Library of Celsus, Ancient City of Ephesus, Selçuk, Turkey- Author;LASZLO ILYES- Wikimedia

Today, the ruins of the City ofEphesus are a favourite international and local tourist attraction.

Being accessible from Adnan Menderes Airport and from the resort town known as Kuşadası,makes it an easy place to access.

4. Considered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

UNESCO Logo- Author; International Bureau of Education- Wikimedia

In 2015, the ruins were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, which was established in 1972.

Turkey accepted this convention on 16th, March 1983, making its historical sites eligible for inclusion on the list.

As of 2021, there are nineteen World Heritage Sites in Turkey, including seventeen cultural sites and two mixed sites.

5. The City of Ephesus was also an important centre for early Christianity

Early days of christianity (1922)- Author;Internet Archive Book Images- Wikimedia

Ephesus was an important centre for Early Christianity from the AD 50s. Historically, from AD 52–54, the apostle Paul lived in Ephesus, working with the congregation and apparently organizing missionary activity into the hinterlands.

According to the Acts of the Apostles, Paul attended the Jewish synagogue in Ephesus. After three months however, he became frustrated with the stubbornness of some of the Jews, and moved his base to the school of Tyrannus.

The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary reminds readers that the unbelief of “some” implies that “others, probably a large number, believed” and therefore there must have been a community of Jewish Christians in Ephesus.

6. It is one of the seven cities addressed in the bible

Image by James Chan from Pixabay

Roman Asia was associated with John, one of the chief apostles, and the Gospel of John might have been written in Ephesus.

Since Ephesus was one of the seven cities addressed in the Book of Revelation, it indicates that the church at Ephesus was strong.

According to Eusebius of Caesarea, Saint Timothy was the first bishop of Ephesus. Polycrates of Ephesus was a bishop at the Church of Ephesus in the 2nd century.

7. Was addressed in a letter written in the 2nd century

Image by Marc Pascual from Pixabay

In the early 2nd century, the church at Ephesus was still important enough to be addressed by a letter written by Bishop Ignatius of Antioch to the Ephesians.

The church at Ephesus had given their support for Ignatius, who was taken to Rome for execution.

8. Ephesus is one of the largest roman archeological sites

City Council of Ephesus- Author; Murat Beşbudak- Wikimedia

Ephesus is one of the largest Roman archaeological sites in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The visible ruins still give some idea of the city’s original splendour, and the names associated with the ruins are a mirror of its former life.

The theatre dominates the view down Harbour Street, which leads to the silted-up harbour.

9. Its history stretches back to 1863

Ruins of temple of Artemis at Ephesus- Author; Miscellaneous Items in High Demand, PPOC, Library of Congress- Wikimedia

The history of archaeological research in Ephesus stretches back to 1863, when a British architect by the name of John Turtle Wood, having been sponsored by the British Museum, began to search for the Temple of Artemis.

In 1869, he discovered the pavement of the temple, but since further expected discoveries were not made the excavations stopped in 1874.

In 1895, a German archaeologist known as Otto Benndorf, resumed excavations He was financed by a 10,000 guilder donation that was made by Austrian Karl Mautner Ritter von Markhof.

In 1898, Otto Benndorf founded the Austrian Archaeological Institute, which plays a leading role in Ephesus today.

10. The archeological works for the City of Ephesus was halted at one point in 2016

Ephesus City in 2016- Author; Omar Maaroof- Wikimedia

In October 2016, Turkey halted the works of the archeologists, which had been ongoing for more than 100 years, due to tensions between Austria and Turkey.

In May 2018 however, Turkey allowed Austrian archeologists to resume their excavations.

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