In its time, Ephesus had it all

Once a center of ancient commerce, Ephesus was unearthed in 1869 and revealed the intricacies of the Roman Empire.

By SI LIBERMAN
Published March 27, 2005

EPHESUS, Turkey - In its heyday, about 2,000 years ago, this was the one of commercial centers of Imperial Rome. Asian, European and African traders did business here. Brutus, Cassius and Cicero once hung out in what was a city of 250,000. The Apostles Paul, John and Luke preached here. Athletes and gladiators performed in the huge arena, and sailors and other visitors unwound in its brothels.

An early advertisement is carved in stone just off the main thoroughfare: a shapely figure and an arrow, pointing to the section where prostitutes worked.

Unearthed in 1869, the city that was Ephesus dates to the 16th century B.C. and is now one of the most complete remains of a Roman Empire site.

But the city is now about 5 miles inland from the Aegean Sea, so it is difficult to visualize Ephesus as a busy harbor city. Over the centuries, the sea receded.

Recently, my wife, Dorothy, and I were among an estimated 10,000 visitors, mostly from cruise ships, viewing the area once traversed by the historic personalities cited above. After the Crucifixion, Mary, mother of Jesus, is reported to have spent her remaining days nearby.

While archaeologists still work this site in western Turkey, what their predecessors have uncovered and restored is a treasure:

A line of columns; human, animal and flower figures carved in marble; an amphitheater that can accommodate 25,000; remains of fountains and terraced dwellings; and the tall facade of what was a magnificent library. And that represents only 15 percent of the area that's been worked by archaeologists.

By the sixth century B.C. and for about the next 1,000 years, the city was a popular trading post for many of the world's entrepreneurs. Text books relate that distinguished visitors included Carthaginian general Hannibal, Macedonia's Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and Cleopatra.

And this is where the giant marble Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was built, destroyed and rebuilt several times. The temple was named after Zeus' daughter, the Greek goddess of hunting, nature and fertility.

Historians say the temple was four times the size of the Parthenon in Athens. But the only remnants of the massive structure are several rebuilt columns.

Just the shell of the elaborate multicolumned library remains. Built by the son of a former Ephesus governor as a monument over his father's tomb, it is the area's most impressive ruin, and is situated across the thoroughfare from the city brothel. The brothel was adorned with richly colored mosaics.

In the first century B.C., the Roman engineers arranged to have warmed water flushed through clay pipes under floors, to provide heat. Sewage flowed into the sea via a stream, over which latrines had been built.

Enter Christianity.

In early stages, its converts were vigorously opposed by merchants, striving to preserve the city's preoccupation with materialism. At one point, the Apostle Paul and some followers were run out of town. They returned and prevailed, though, and Christianity ultimately emerged as the Roman Empire's official religion.

By the Middle Ages, earthquakes, wars, shifting tides, disease and silt had buried Ephesus, while civilization produced safer and more accessible harbors.

- Si Liberman is a freelance writer living in Palm Beach.

More information about Ephesus and other Turkish ancient sites may be obtained by contacting the Turkey Government Tourist Office, 821 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017. Call 212 687-2194; www.TourismTurkey.org

[Last modified March 25, 2005, 13:06:11]