Ephesus and Kusadasi, Turkey
Despite the best efforts of the protesting Turkish Airways crews in Istanbul to ground flights, we were not to be denied our opportunity to explore the splendors of the ancient city of Ephesus, the capital of the Roman province of Asia. According to Herodotus, Ephesus had been an active port since the 10th century BC but during the Roman era it grew in importance as it served as the gateway between the rich silk and spice routes in the east and the Roman Empire in the west. Today, the site is five kilometers from the sea due to the silt build-up of the river Cayster. In fact, all that remains of the ancient waterfront is a lone column in a reed-filled field of the once great temple, the Artemision of Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Our late arrival in Izmir meant we had to decide between having a sumptuous lunch of local mezes or going to the Ephesus archaeological museum in Seljuk before commencing our visit of the extensive ruins of the ancient city. The majority opted to visit the museum to see the wide array of artifacts that the Austrian and Turkish archaeologists have recovered from the various ancient Greek and Roman civic structures and private villas over the last 120 years. The highlights of the exhibits included a model of the Artemision and two elegant cult statues of Artemis Ephesia – the goddess of fertility and nature, to whom the city’s great temple was dedicated.
The best thing about our mid-afternoon arrival on the site was the morning grey skies had cleared and we almost had the site to ourselves. Starting at the upper gate of the city located on the slopes of Mt. Pion, we walked through the remains of the Stoa of Basileios, a once impressive two-story portico leading to the Odeon (meeting chamber) of the town’s elite citizens. We lounged on the marble seats of this well-preserved small theater while our guide told us the about the mythological founding of the city and all the important Roman Emperors and Christian saints who had walked along the very same streets we would tread.
While the upper city was certainly impressive, once we walked through the Gates of Hercules, we were transported into another world – the world of Ancient Rome – for what we saw spreading down the hill in front of us was a near-perfectly preserved 1st century AD Roman city in all its glory! The toga-clad Romans have been replaced with camera-toting visitors jostling for the best views of the many temples and fountains that flank the main street leading down to magnificent early 2nd century AD Library of Celsus. Devoid of any modern structures, a visit to Ephesus enables one to gain a true appreciation for the scale and layout of the principal buildings and residential areas of an ancient town. Over the past decades Austrian archaeologists have reconstructed several of the monumental structures near the center of the city.
No reconstruction was necessary on the complex of peristyle houses that cover the slope of Mt. BülBül across from the Temple of Hadrian. Preserved to the second floor with fresco or marble-clad walls, they are an astounding example of the lifestyle of the “Rich and Famous” citizens on the town. The 21st century steel and Plexiglas structures that cover this complex were equally impressive and allowed us to walk over and peer down into each of the rooms below. We ended our visit strolling through the Roman Agora where tumbled marble columns and clumps of poppies now fill the old shops.
A short drive delivered us to the gangway of the Sea Cloud, which we boarded to begin the next part of our adventure!
