Ephesus survives swords, scimitars and silt
Story and photos by Bob Schulman
Name an ancient Roman city that was wiped out by a natural disaster. Pompeii most likely comes to mind, but there's another, lesser known Roman city emerging out of the rubble in Turkey that could easily upstage Pompeii on the disaster scale.
It's named Ephesus, and while only a small portion of it has been excavated, archaeologists say it may have been the Roman empire's second largest city, topped only by Rome itself. Ephesus' end came from the double-whammy of a massive earthquake in 614 coupled with a huge buildup of silt in its harbor – so much that the shoreline edged five miles out into the Aegean, putting the city that far inland.
Without a harbor, what had been the No. 1 trading port along the coast of Asia Minor went out of business, probably around 700.
Founded as an Ionian colony in the 10th century B.C., the city fell to the arrows, swords, scimitars and cannons of a succession of conquerors over the years, notably those of the Greeks, Persians, Egyptians, Romans, Goths and Christians.
Ephesus' main eye-popper under its early Grecian banners was the immense Temple of Artemis, daughter of the supergod Zeus and twin sister of Apollo. Said to have been three times the size of the Parthenon in Athens, the temple went down in the history books as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, right up there with the the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Colossus of Rhodes.
Modern-day Artemis fans, while thrilled to visit the site, will probably be disappointed when they see what's left of the temple. Only one column remains (and that was patched together from scraps of debris found around the site).
At its peak under Roman rule in the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D., the city probably spread out over a couple of square miles and was home to perhaps a half-million people. It's not hard to imagine thousands of them cheering for their favorite gladiators from the stone tiers of the town's gigantic outdoor theater. Down the road, you can almost see scholars, lawyers and politicians pouring through the 12,000 scrolls in the landmark Library of Celsus. Elsewhere, you might conjure up commoners taking in concerts at the Odeon theater or hanging out at the city's dozens of temples and shrines.
After a long day of scroll-reading, some scholars may have slipped away to the town brothel through a hidden tunnel near the library. After that, they may have gone home to the Beverly Hills-like neighborhoods overlooking the city or visited Ephesus' version of the Rodeo Drive upscale shopping mecca.
When nature called, there were plenty of public toilets around town. Made of stone, they could have been cold to sit on during the winter – were it not for the slaves assigned to sit on the potties to keep them warm until the Ephesians were ready to use them. And to add a festive touch to the occasion, slave bands wandered around the area batting out the latest hit tunes. (Yes, it was good to be an Ephesian.)
It's estimated that the city now hosts close to a million tourists a year. On the way there, a good number stop at the “House of the Virgin Mary,” a small home on a hilltop where Jesus' mother is said to have lived for several years before her death. Visitors can also check out spots around the area marking haunts of the Apostles Paul and John.
Many of Ephesus' visitors are cruise passengers, having arrived at the site on tour buses from the Turkish port of Kusadasi about 15 miles away. It's not unusual to see long caravans of 60-passenger buses snaking through the hills to the historic site.
After three or so hours of soaking up the culture of ancient Rome, the tourists arrive back in Kusadasi for a few hours of getting soaked in the city's jam-packed bazaars. On some blocks, classy stores sell exquisite Turkish rugs, fine jewelry and certified antiques; on others, wall-to-wall shops and stalls peddle cheap souvenirs and copies of name brand purses, designer clothing and the like – for example, “Rolex” watches for $20 (after a little haggling).
Back home, you can be the first on your block to show off a “I (heart) Kusadasi” tee-shirt. Made in China, of course.
Non-cruisers can get to the historic site on jet flights from points around Europe and the Middle East to Adnan Menderes International Airport at Izmir, the regional capital. From there it's about a 35-mile train ride to Ephesus.
More info: Click www.kusadasi.biz. The Ephesus section has all kinds of information on the site along with a five-minute video.