View source for History:Ephesus

{{Short description|Ancient Greek city in Anatolia}} 
{{Infobox ancient site
|name = Ephesus
|native_name = {{lang|grc|Ἔφεσος}} ({{lang|grc-Latn|Éphesos}})<br/>{{lang|tr|Efes}}
|alternate_name = 
|image =Ephesus Celsus Library Façade.jpg
|alt = The roof of the Library of Celsus has collapsed, but its large façade is still intact.
|caption = The Library of Celsus in Ephesus
|map_type = Turkey #Asia
|map_alt = #Asia
|map_size = 275
|relief=yes
|coordinates = {{coord|37|56|28|N|27|20|31|E|display=inline,title}}
|location = Selçuk, İzmir Province, [[Place:Turkey|Turkey]], [[Place:West Asia|West Asia]]
|region = Ionia
|type = [[Social:Ancient Greek|Ancient Greek]] settlement 
|part_of = [[Place:West Asia|West Asia]]
|length = 
|width = 
|area = Wall circuit: {{convert|415|ha|abbr=on}}<br/>Occupied: {{convert|224|ha|abbr=on}}
|height = 
|builder = [[Place:Attica|Attic]] and Ionian Greeks
|material = 
|built = 10th century BC
|abandoned = 15th century
|epochs = [[History:Greek Dark Ages|Greek Dark Ages]] to [[History:Late Middle Ages|Late Middle Ages]]
|cultures = 
|dependency_of = 
|occupants = 
|event = 
|excavations = 1863–1869, 1895
|archaeologists = John Turtle Wood, Otto Benndorf
|condition = 
|ownership = 
|management = 
|public_access = 
|website = {{Official URL}}
{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
|child         = yes
|ID            = 1018
|Criteria      = Cultural: iii, iv, vi
|Year          = 2015
|Area          = 662.62 ha
|Buffer_zone   = 1,246.3 ha
}}
}}
'''Ephesus''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɛ|f|ɪ|s|ə|s}};<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.dictionary.com/browse/ephesus| title = Ephesus Definition & Meaning {{!}} Dictionary.com}}</ref><ref name=Olausson2006 /> {{lang-grc-gre|Ἔφεσος|Éphesos}}; {{lang-tr|Efes}}; may ultimately derive from {{lang-hit|𒀀𒉺𒊭|Apaša}}) was a city in {{wipe|Ancient Greece}}<ref name=Gagarin2010 /><ref name="Ramirez-Faria2007" /> on the coast of Ionia, {{convert|3|km}} southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, [[Place:Turkey|Turkey]]. It was built in the 10th century BC on the site of Apasa, the former [[History:Arzawa|Arzawa]]n capital,<ref name=BritishMuseum /><ref name=SteadmanMcMahon2011 /> by [[Place:Attica|Attic]] and Ionian Greeks. During the Classical Greek era, it was one of twelve cities that were members of the [[Place:Ionian League|Ionian League]]. The city came under the control of the Roman Republic in 129 BC.

The city was famous in its day for the nearby [[Religion:Temple of Artemis|Temple of Artemis]] (completed around 550&nbsp;BC), which has been designated one of the [[Engineering:Seven Wonders of the Ancient World|Seven Wonders of the Ancient World]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Turkey/_Periods/Greek/_Texts/LETGKB/Ephesus*.html |title=accessed September 14, 2007 |publisher=Penelope.uchicago.edu |access-date=2009-04-20}}</ref> Its many monumental buildings included the Library of Celsus and a theatre capable of holding 24,000 spectators.<ref name="Ring 1995 217">{{cite book|last=Ring|first=Trudy|author2=Salkin, Robert|title=International Dictionary of Historic Places: Southern Europe|publisher=Fitzroy Dearborn|location=London|year=1995|page=217|chapter=Ephesus|isbn=978-1-884964-02-2}}</ref>

Ephesus was a recipient city of one of the [[Religion:Pauline epistles|Pauline epistles]] and one of the [[Religion:Seven churches of Asia|seven churches of Asia]] addressed in the [[Religion:Book of Revelation|Book of Revelation]].<ref>2:1–7</ref> The Gospel of John may have been written there. <ref name="Harris">Harris, Stephen L., ''Understanding the Bible'', Palo Alto, Mayfield, 1985.</ref> and it was the site of several 5th-century Christian Councils (see Council of Ephesus). The city was destroyed by the Goths in 263. Although it was afterwards rebuilt, its importance as a commercial centre declined as the harbour was slowly silted up by the Küçükmenderes River. In 614, it was partially destroyed by an earthquake.

Today, the ruins of Ephesus are a favourite international and local tourist attraction, being accessible from Adnan Menderes Airport and from the resort town Kuşadası. In 2015, the ruins were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

== History ==

=== Neolithic age ===
Humans had begun inhabiting the area surrounding Ephesus by the Neolithic Age (about 6000&nbsp;BC), as shown by evidence from excavations at the nearby ''höyük'' (artificial mounds known as tells) of Arvalya and Cukurici.<ref>[VIII. Muze Kurtrma Kazilari Semineri ] ''Adil Evren – Cengiz Icten, pp 111–133'' 1997</ref><ref>[Arkeoloji ve Sanat Dergisi] – Çukuriçi Höyük sayi 92 ] ''Adil Evren'' 1998</ref>

=== Bronze Age ===

Excavations in recent years have unearthed settlements from the early [[History:Bronze Age|Bronze Age]] at Ayasuluk Hill. According to [[History:Hittites|Hittite]] sources, the capital of the kingdom of [[History:Arzawa|Arzawa]] (another independent state in Western and Southern Anatolia/Asia Minor<ref name="Akurgal">{{cite book| author = Akurgal, Ekrem| title = The Hattian and Hittite Civilizations| page = 111| publisher = Publications of the Republic of Turkey; Ministry of Culture| year = 2001| isbn = 975-17-2756-1}}</ref>) was Apasa (or ''Abasa''), and some scholars suggest that this is the same place the Greeks later called Ephesus.<ref name='BritishMuseum'/><ref>{{cite book|last=Müller-Luckner|first=herausgegeben von Kurt Raaflaub unter Mitarbeit von Elisabeth|title=Anfänge politischen Denkens in der Antike : die nahöstlichen Kulturen und die Griechen|year=1993|publisher=Oldenbourg|location=München|isbn=978-3-486-55993-4|page=117|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NySxd--wwYwC&pg=PA117|edition=[Online-Ausg.].}}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Waelkens|editor-first=M.|title=Sagalassos|year=2000|publisher=Leuven Univ. Press|location=Leuven|isbn=978-90-5867-079-3|page=476|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zs5xuX231MoC&pg=PA476}}</ref><ref name="Hawkins1998">J. David Hawkins (1998). ‘Tarkasnawa King of Mira: Tarkendemos, Boğazköy Sealings, and Karabel.’ ''Anatolian Studies'' 48:1–31.</ref> In 1954, a burial ground from the [[History:Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean]] era (1500–1400&nbsp;BC), which contained ceramic pots, was discovered close to the ruins of the basilica of St. John.<ref name="C. Özgünel">{{cite journal| author=Coskun Özgünel| title=Mykenische Keramik in Anatolien| journal=Asia Minor Studien| year=1996| volume=23}}</ref> This was the period of the [[History:Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean]] expansion, a process that continued into the 13th century BC. The names ''Apasa'' and ''Ephesus'' appear to be cognate,<ref name="Puhvel1984">Jaan Puhvel (1984).  'Hittite Etymological Dictionary Vol. 1(A)' ''Berlin, New York, Amsterdam: Mouton de Gruyter'' 1984–.</ref> and recently found inscriptions seem to pinpoint the places in the Hittite record.<ref name="Hawkins2009">J.David Hawkins (2009). 'The Arzawa letters in recent perspective' ''British Museum Studies in Ancient Egypt and Sudan 14'' 73–83.</ref><ref name="GarstangandGurney1959">Garstang, J. and O. R. Gurney (1959). 'The geography of the Hittite Empire' ''Occasional Publications of the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara 5''London.</ref>

===Period of Greek migrations===
[[File:Templo-Artemisa-Efeso-2017.jpg|thumb|Site of the Temple of Artemis in the town of Selçuk, near Ephesus.]]
Ephesus was founded as an Attic-Ionian colony in the 10th century BC on a hill (now known as the Ayasuluk Hill), three kilometers ({{convert|3|km|abbr=off|disp=output only}}) from the centre of ancient Ephesus (as attested by excavations at the Seljuk castle during the 1990s). The mythical founder of the city was a prince of [[Place:Athens|Athens]] named Androklos, who had to leave his country after the death of his father, King Kodros. According to the legend, he founded Ephesus on the place where the oracle of Delphi became reality ("A fish and a boar will show you the way"). He was a successful warrior, and as a king he was able to join the twelve cities of Ionia together into the [[Place:Ionian League|Ionian League]]. During his reign the city began to prosper. He died in a battle against the Carians when he came to the aid of Priene, another city of the Ionian League.<ref name="Pausanias">{{cite book | title=Description of Greece| last=Pausanias| year=1965| pages=7.2.8–9| publisher=Loeb Classical Library| location=New York}}</ref> Androklos and his dog are depicted on the Hadrian temple frieze, dating from the 2nd century. Later, Greek historians such as Pausanias, Strabo and Herodotos and the poet Kallinos reassigned the city's mythological foundation to Ephos, queen of the [[Social:Amazons|Amazons]].

The Greek goddess [[Religion:Artemis|Artemis]] and the great Anatolian goddess Kybele were identified together as ''Artemis of Ephesus''. The many-breasted "Lady of Ephesus", identified with Artemis, was venerated in the [[Religion:Temple of Artemis|Temple of Artemis]], one of the [[Engineering:Seven Wonders of the Ancient World|Seven Wonders of the World]] and the largest building of the ancient world according to Pausanias (4.31.8). Pausanias mentions that the temple was built by Ephesus, son of the river god Caystrus,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/1133.html |title=Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology |publisher=Ancientlibrary.com |access-date=2009-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090621092916/http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/1133.html |archive-date=2009-06-21 |url-status=dead }}</ref> before the arrival of the Ionians. Of this structure, scarcely a trace remains.

Ancient sources seem to indicate that an older name of the place was '''Alope''' ({{lang-grc|Ἀλόπη|Alópē}}).<ref>{{Cite Pauly|I,2|1595|1596|Alope 5|Johannes Toepffer|RE:Alope 5|}}</ref>

=== Archaic period ===
[[File:Ephesus street scene.jpg|300px|left|thumb|Street scene at the archeological excavations at Ephesus.]]
About 650&nbsp;BC, Ephesus was attacked by the [[Social:Cimmerians|Cimmerians]] who razed the city, including the temple of Artemis. After the Cimmerians had been driven away, the city was ruled by a series of tyrants. Following a revolt by the people, Ephesus was ruled by a council. The city prospered again under a new rule, producing a number of important historical figures such as the elegiac poet Callinus<ref name="Callinus">{{cite book | title=Greek Lyric Poetry| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cABi5Pt7FgQC&q=Ephesus++%22poetess%22&pg=PR7| last=translation by M.L. West| year=1999| page=21| publisher=Oxford University Press| isbn=0-19-283678-1}}</ref> and the iambic poet Hipponax, the philosopher [[Biography:Heraclitus|Heraclitus]], the great painter Parrhasius and later the grammarian Zenodotos and physicians Soranus and Rufus.
[[File:Ephesos 620-600 BC.jpg|right|thumb|[[Chemistry:Electrum|Electrum]] coin from Ephesus, 620–600 BC. Obverse: Forepart of stag. Reverse: Square incuse punch.]]
About 560&nbsp;BC, Ephesus was conquered by the Lydians under king Croesus, who, though a harsh ruler, treated the inhabitants with respect and even became the main contributor to the reconstruction of the temple of Artemis.<ref>{{cite book
| last = Cremin
| first = Aedeen
| title = The World Encyclopedia of Archaeology
| publisher = Firefly Books
| year = 2007
| location = Richmond Hill, Ontario
| page = [https://archive.org/details/worldencyclopedi00aede/page/173 173]
| url = https://archive.org/details/worldencyclopedi00aede/page/173
| isbn = 978-1-55407-311-5
}}</ref> His signature has been found on the base of one of the columns of the temple (now on display in the British Museum). Croesus made the populations of the different settlements around Ephesus regroup (''synoikismos'') in the vicinity of the Temple of Artemis, enlarging the city.

Later in the same century, the Lydians under Croesus invaded Persia. The Ionians refused a peace offer from Cyrus the Great, siding with the Lydians instead. After the Persians defeated Croesus, the Ionians offered to make peace, but Cyrus insisted that they surrender and become part of the empire.<ref>Herodotus i. 141</ref> They were defeated by the Persian army commander Harpagos in 547&nbsp;BC. The Persians then incorporated the Greek cities of Asia Minor into the [[Place:Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid Empire]]. Those cities were then ruled by satraps.

Ephesus has intrigued archaeologists because for the Archaic Period there is no definite location for the settlement. There are numerous sites to suggest the movement of a settlement between the Bronze Age and the Roman period, but the silting up of the natural harbours as well as the movement of the Kayster River meant that the location never remained the same.

=== Classical period ===
{{multiple image
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 | header    =  
 | image1    = The_Statue_of_Artemis_at_Ephesus.jpg
 | width1    = 130
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 | caption1  = Artemis Statue, 1st century AD, Ephesus Archaeological Museum
 | image2    = Efes_Müzesi,_2019_10.jpg
 | width2    = 173
 | alt2      = 
 | caption2  = The Lady of Ephesus, 2nd century AD, Ephesus Archaeological Museum
 }}
Ephesus continued to prosper, but when taxes were raised under Cambyses II and Darius, the Ephesians participated in the Ionian Revolt against Persian rule in the Battle of Ephesus (498&nbsp;BC), an event which instigated the Greco-Persian wars. In 479&nbsp;BC, the Ionians, together with [[Place:Athens|Athens]], were able to oust the Persians from the shores of Asia Minor. In 478&nbsp;BC, the Ionian cities with Athens entered into the [[Place:Delian League|Delian League]] against the Persians. Ephesus did not contribute ships but gave financial support.

During the Peloponnesian War, Ephesus was first allied to Athens<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Keen |first=Antony G. |date=1993 |title=Athenian Campaigns in Karia and Lykia during the Peloponnesian War |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/632404 |journal=The Journal of Hellenic Studies |volume=113 |pages=152–157 |doi=10.2307/632404 |jstor=632404 |s2cid=162250367 |issn=0075-4269}}</ref> but in a later phase, called the Decelean War, or the Ionian War, sided with Sparta, which also had received the support of the Persians. As a result, rule over the cities of Ionia was ceded again to Persia.

These wars did not greatly affect daily life in Ephesus. The Ephesians were surprisingly modern in their social relations:<ref>{{Cite journal |last=BRINKS |first=C. L. |date=2009 |title="Great Is Artemis of the Ephesians": Acts 19:23-41 in Light of Goddess Worship in Ephesus |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43726616 |journal=The Catholic Biblical Quarterly |volume=71 |issue=4 |pages=776–794 |jstor=43726616 |issn=0008-7912}}</ref> they allowed strangers to integrate and education was valued. In later times, Pliny the Elder mentioned having seen at Ephesus a representation of the goddess [[Religion:Diana (mythology)|Diana]] by Timarete, the daughter of a painter.<ref>Pliny the Elder [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0137%3Abook%3D35%3Achapter%3D40 ''Naturalis historia'' xxxv.40.147].</ref>

In 356&nbsp;BC the temple of Artemis was burnt down, according to legend, by a lunatic called Herostratus. The inhabitants of Ephesus at once set about restoring the temple and even planned a larger and grander one than the original.

=== Hellenistic period ===

[[File:Karte Ephesos MKL1888.png|thumb|left|Historical map of Ephesus, from ''Meyers Konversationslexikon'', 1888]]

When Alexander the Great defeated the Persian forces at the Battle of Granicus in 334&nbsp;BC, the Greek cities of Asia Minor were liberated. The pro-Persian tyrant Syrpax and his family were stoned to death, and Alexander was greeted warmly when he entered Ephesus in triumph. When Alexander saw that the temple of Artemis was not yet finished, he proposed to finance it and have his name inscribed on the front. But the inhabitants of Ephesus demurred, claiming that it was not fitting for one god to build a temple to another. After Alexander's death in 323&nbsp;BC, Ephesus in 290&nbsp;BC came under the rule of one of Alexander's generals, Lysimachus.

As the river Cayster (Grk. name Κάϋστρος) silted up the old harbour, the resulting marshes caused malaria and many deaths among the inhabitants. Lysimachus forced the people to move from the ancient settlement around the temple of Artemis to the present site two kilometres ({{convert|2|km|abbr=off|disp=output only}}) away, when as a last resort the king flooded the old city by blocking the sewers.<ref name="Strabo">{{cite book | title=Geography (volume 1–7)| last=Strabo| date=1923–1932| pages=14.1.21| publisher=Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press| location=Cambridge}}</ref> The new settlement was officially called ''Arsinoea'' ({{lang-grc|Ἀρσινόεια}}<ref>Edwyn Robert Bevan, ''The House of Seleucus'', Vol. 1 (E. Arnold, 1902), p. 119.</ref> or Ἀρσινοΐα<ref>Wilhelm Pape, ''Wörterbuch der griechischen Eigennamen'', Vol. 3 (Braunschweig, 1870), p. 145.</ref>) or '''Arsinoe''' (Ἀρσινόη),<ref>{{Cite DARE|21155}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Barrington|61}}</ref> after the king's second wife, Arsinoe II of Egypt. After Lysimachus had destroyed the nearby cities of Lebedos and Colophon in 292&nbsp;BC, he relocated their inhabitants to the new city.

Ephesus revolted after the treacherous death of Agathocles, giving the Hellenistic king of Syria and Mesopotamia Seleucus I Nicator an opportunity for removing and killing Lysimachus, his last rival, at the Battle of Corupedium in 281&nbsp;BC. After the death of Lysimachus the town again was named Ephesus.

Thus Ephesus became part of the [[Place:Seleucid Empire|Seleucid Empire]]. After the murder of king Antiochus II Theos and his Egyptian wife in 246&nbsp;BC, pharaoh Ptolemy III invaded the Seleucid Empire and the Egyptian fleet swept the coast of Asia Minor. Ephesus was betrayed by its governor Sophron into the hands of the Ptolemies who ruled the city for half a century until 197&nbsp;BC.

The Seleucid king Antiochus III the Great tried to regain the Greek cities of Asia Minor and recaptured Ephesus in 196&nbsp;BC but he then came into conflict with Rome. After a series of battles, he was defeated by Scipio Asiaticus at the Battle of Magnesia in 190&nbsp;BC. As a result of the subsequent Treaty of Apamea, Ephesus came under the rule of Eumenes II, the Attalid king of [[History:Pergamon|Pergamon]], (ruled 197–159&nbsp;BC). When his grandson Attalus III died in 133&nbsp;BC without male children of his own, he left his kingdom to the Roman Republic, on condition that the city of Pergamon be kept free and autonomous.

=== Classical Roman period (129 BC–395 AD) ===
[[File:The Temple of Hadrian (16127691050).jpg|thumb|left|The Temple of Hadrian]]
Ephesus, as part of the kingdom of Pergamon, became a subject of the Roman Republic in 129 BC after the revolt of Eumenes III was suppressed.
[[File:Ephesos amphitheatre.jpg|thumb|The Theatre of Ephesus with harbour street. Due to ancient and subsequent deforestation, overgrazing (mostly by goat herds), erosion and soil degradation, the Mediterranean coast is now {{convert|3|-|4|km|0|abbr=on}} away from the site, sediment having filled the plain and the coast. In the background can be seen the muddy remains of the former harbour, barren hill ridges and maquis shrubland.]]

[[File:Turcja, Efez, Nike (Aw58).JPG|thumb|left|Stone carving of the goddess Nike]]
The city felt Roman influence at once; taxes rose considerably, and the treasures of the city were systematically plundered. Hence in 88&nbsp;BC Ephesus welcomed Archelaus, a general of Mithridates, king of [[Place:Pontus (region)|Pontus]], when he conquered Asia (the Roman name for western [[Earth:Anatolia|Anatolia]]). From Ephesus, Mithridates ordered every Roman citizen in the province to be killed which led to the Asiatic Vespers, the slaughter of 80,000&nbsp;Roman citizens in Asia, or any person who spoke with a Latin accent. Many had lived in Ephesus, and statues and monument of Roman citizens in Ephesus were also destroyed. But when they saw how badly the people of Chios had been treated by Zenobius, a general of Mithridates, they refused entry to his army. Zenobius was invited into the city to visit Philopoemen, the father of Monime, the favourite wife of Mithridates, and the overseer of Ephesus. As the people expected nothing good of him, they threw him into prison and murdered him. Mithridates took revenge and inflicted terrible punishments. However, the Greek cities were given freedom and several substantial rights. Ephesus became, for a short time, self-governing. When Mithridates was defeated in the First Mithridatic War by the Roman consul Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Ephesus came back under Roman rule in 86&nbsp;BC. Sulla imposed a huge indemnity, along with five years of back taxes, which left Asian cities heavily in debt for a long time to come.<ref name="Mithridatic War">{{cite book |author=Appian of Alexandria (c.95&nbsp;AD-c.165&nbsp;AD) |title=History of Rome |section=The Mithridatic wars |at=§§46–50 |section-url=https://www.livius.org/ap-ark/appian/appian_mithridatic_10.html |url-status=dead |access-date=2007-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070808180836/http://www.livius.org/ap-ark/appian/appian_mithridatic_10.html |archive-date=2007-08-08}}</ref>

King Ptolemy XII Auletes of Egypt retired to Ephesus in 57&nbsp;BCE, passing his time in the sanctuary of the temple of Artemis when the Roman Senate failed to restore him to his throne.<ref>{{cite book |author=Dio Cassius |title=Historia Romana |at=39.16.3}}</ref>

Mark Antony was welcomed by Ephesus for periods when he was proconsul<ref>{{cite book |author=[[Philosophy:Plutarch|Plutarch]] |title=Ant |at=23'1-24'12}}</ref> and in 33 BC with Cleopatra when he gathered his fleet of 800&nbsp;ships before the battle of Actium with Octavius.<ref>{{cite book |author=[[Philosophy:Plutarch|Plutarch]] |title=Ant |at=56.1–10}}</ref>

When Augustus became emperor in 27&nbsp;BCE, the most important change was when he made Ephesus the capital of proconsular Asia (which covered western Asia Minor) instead of Pergamum. Ephesus then entered an era of prosperity, becoming both the seat of the governor and a major centre of commerce. According to Strabo, it was second in importance and size only to Rome.<ref>{{cite book |author=Strabo |title=Geography |volume=1–7 |at=14.1.24 |place=Cambridge, MA |publisher=Loeb Classical Library / Harvard University Press}}</ref>

The city and temple were destroyed by the Goths in 263&nbsp;CE. This marked the decline of the city's splendour. However emperor Constantine the Great rebuilt much of the city and erected new public baths.

====The Roman population====
[[File:Ephesus Terrace Houses.jpg|left|thumb|The 'terrace houses' at Ephesus, showing how the wealthy lived during the Roman period. Eventually the harbour became silted up, and the city lost its natural resources.]]
Until recently, the population of Ephesus in Roman times was estimated to number up to 225,000&nbsp;people by Broughton.<ref name=pric18/><ref name=hans253/> More recent scholarship regards these estimates as unrealistic. Such a large estimate would require population densities seen in only a few ancient cities, or extensive settlement outside the city walls. This would have been impossible at Ephesus because of the mountain ranges, coastline and quarries which surrounded the city.<ref name=hans258/>

The wall of Lysimachus has been estimated to enclose an area of {{convert|415|ha}}. Not all of this area was inhabited due to public buildings and spaces in the city center and the steep slope of the Bülbül Dağı mountain, which was enclosed by the wall. Ludwig Burchner estimated this area with the walls at 1000&nbsp;acres. Jerome Murphy-O'Connor uses an estimate of 345&nbsp;hectares for the inhabited land or 835&nbsp;acres (Murphey cites Ludwig Burchner). He cites Josiah Russell using 832&nbsp;acres and Old Jerusalem in 1918 as the yardstick estimated the population at 51,068 at 148.5&nbsp;persons per hectare. Using 510&nbsp;persons per hectare, he arrives at a population between 138,000 and 172,500&nbsp;.<ref>{{cite book |first=Jerome Murphy |last=O'Conner |title=St.&nbsp;Paul's Ephesus |year=2008 |page=130 |publisher=Liturgical Press |isbn=978-0-8146-5259-6}}</ref> J.W. Hanson estimated the inhabited space to be smaller, at {{convert|224|ha}}. He argues that population densities of 150~250&nbsp;people per hectare are more realistic, which gives a range of 33,600–56,000&nbsp;inhabitants. Even with these much lower population estimates, Ephesus was one of the largest cities of Roman Asia Minor, ranking it as the largest city after Sardis and Alexandria Troas.<ref name=hans252to257/> Hanson and Ortman (2017)<ref name=Hanson-Ortman-2017>{{cite journal |first1=J.W. |last1=Hanson |first2=S.G. |last2=Ortman |title=A systematic method for estimating populations of Greek and Roman settlements |journal=Journal of Roman Archaeology |date=November 2017|volume=30 |pages=301–324 |doi=10.1017/S1047759400074134 |s2cid=165770409 }}</ref> estimate an inhabited area to be 263&nbsp;hectares and their demographic model yields an estimate of 71,587&nbsp;inhabitants, with a population density of 276&nbsp;inhabitants per hectare. By contrast, Rome within the walls encompassed 1,500&nbsp;hectares and as over 400 built-up hectares were left outside the Aurelian Wall, whose construction was begun in 274&nbsp;CE and finished in 279&nbsp;CE, the total inhabited area plus public spaces inside the walls consisted of ca. 1,900 hectares. Imperial Rome had a population estimated to be between 750,000 and one million (Hanson and Ortman's (2017)<ref name=Hanson-Ortman-2017/> model yields an estimate of 923,406&nbsp;inhabitants), which imply in a population density of 395 to 526&nbsp;inhabitants per hectare, including public spaces.

=== Byzantine Roman period (395–1308) ===

Ephesus remained the most important city of the [[Place:Byzantine Empire|Byzantine Empire]] in Asia after Constantinople in the 5th and 6th centuries.<ref>{{cite book|last1=VanVoorst|first1=Jenny Fretland|title=The Byzantine Empire|date=2013|publisher=Compass Point Books|location=North Mankato, MN|isbn=978-0756545864|page=32}}</ref>  Emperor Flavius Arcadius raised the level of the street between the theatre and the harbour. The basilica of St. John was built during the reign of emperor Justinian I in the 6th century.

Excavations in 2022 indicate that large parts of the city were destroyed in 614/615 by a military conflict, most likely during the Sasanian War, which initiated a drastic decline in the city's population and standard of living.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oeaw.ac.at/en/oeai/press/news-archive/news-detail/ephesos-more-than-1400-year-old-area-of-the-city-discovered-under-a-burnt-layer-1|title=Ephesos: More than 1,400-year-old area of the city discovered under a burnt layer|date=2022-10-28 |publisher=Austrian Archaeological Institute|access-date=2022-10-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028125334/https://www.oeaw.ac.at/en/oeai/press/news-archive/news-detail/ephesos-more-than-1400-year-old-area-of-the-city-discovered-under-a-burnt-layer-1|archive-date=2022-10-28|url-status=live}}</ref>

The importance of the city as a commercial centre further declined as the harbour, today 5&nbsp;kilometres inland, was slowly silted up by the river (today, Küçük Menderes) despite repeated dredging during the city's history.<ref>{{cite web |first=Tore |last=Kjeilen |url=http://lexicorient.com/e.o/ephesus.htm |title=accessed September 24, 2007 |publisher=Lexicorient.com |date=2007-02-20 |access-date=2009-04-20 |archive-date=2016-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304052555/http://lexicorient.com/e.o/ephesus.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The loss of its harbour caused Ephesus to lose its access to the Aegean Sea, which was important for trade. People started leaving the lowland of the city for the surrounding hills. The ruins of the temples were used as building blocks for new homes. Marble sculptures were ground to powder to make lime for plaster.

Sackings by the [[Place:Umayyad Caliphate|Arabs]] first in the year 654–655 by caliph Muawiyah I, and later in 700 and 716 hastened the decline further.

When the Seljuk Turks conquered Ephesus in 1090,<ref>Foss, Clive (1979) ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=i6Q8AAAAIAAJ&dq=Ephesus+after+antiquity:+a+late+antique,+Byzantine,+and+Turkish+city Ephesus after antiquity: a late antique, Byzantine, and Turkish city]'', Cambridge University Press, p. 121.<br>Gökovalı, Şadan; Altan Erguvan (1982) ''Ephesus'', Ticaret Matbaacılık, p.7.</ref> it was a small village. The Byzantines resumed control in 1097 and changed the name of the town to Hagios Theologos. They kept control of the region until 1308. Crusaders passing through were surprised that there was only a small village, called Ayasalouk, where they had expected a bustling city with a large seaport. Even the temple of Artemis was completely forgotten by the local population. The Crusaders of the Second Crusade fought the Seljuks just outside the town in December 1147.

=== Pre-Ottoman period (1304–1390) ===
[[File:İsa Bey Camii.jpg|right|thumb|The İsa Bey Mosque constructed in 1374–75, is one of the oldest and most impressive remains from the Anatolian beyliks.]]

The town surrendered, on 24 October 1304, to Sasa Bey, a Turkish warlord of the Menteşoğulları principality. Nevertheless, contrary to the terms of the surrender the Turks pillaged the church of Saint John and deported most of the local population to Thyrea, Greece when a revolt seemed probable. During these events many of the remaining inhabitants were massacred.<ref>{{cite book|last=Foss|first=Clive|title=Ephesus After Antiquity|date=1979|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=144|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i6Q8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA144}}</ref>

Shortly afterwards, Ephesus was ceded to the Aydinid principality that stationed a powerful navy in the harbour of Ayasuluğ (the present-day Selçuk, next to Ephesus). Ayasoluk became an important harbour, from which piratical raids to the surrounding Christian regions were organised, both official by the state and private.<ref>{{cite book|last=Foss|first=Clive|title=Ephesus After Antiquity|date=1979|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=viii|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i6Q8AAAAIAAJ}}</ref>

The town knew again a short period of prosperity during the 14th century under these new Seljuk rulers. They added important architectural works such as the İsa Bey Mosque, caravansaries and Turkish bathhouses (hamam).
[[File:Illustration from Views in the Ottoman Dominions by Luigi Mayer, digitally enhanced by rawpixel-com 43.jpg|thumb|Ruins of the baths at Ephesus, by Luigi Mayer]]
=== Ottoman period ===

Ephesians were incorporated as vassals into the [[Place:Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Empire]] for the first time in 1390. The Central Asian warlord Tamerlane defeated the Ottomans in Anatolia in 1402, and the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I died in captivity. The region was restored to the Anatolian beyliks. After a period of unrest, the region was again incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1425.

Ephesus was completely abandoned by the 15th century. Nearby Ayasuluğ (''Ayasoluk'' being a corrupted form of the original Greek name<ref>{{cite web| url = https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/bjrl/ephesus_bruce.pdf| title = Bruce F.F., "St John at Ephesus", ''The John Rylands University Library'', 60 (1978), p. 339}}</ref>) was [[Social:Turkification|turkified]] to Selçuk in 1914.

==Ephesus and Christianity==
[[File:Eustache Le Sueur - The Preaching of St Paul at Ephesus - WGA12613.jpg|thumb|''The Preaching of [[Biography:Paul the Apostle|Saint Paul]] at Ephesus'', Eustache Le Sueur, 1649]]
Ephesus was an important centre for [[Religion:Early Christianity|Early Christianity]] from the AD 50s. From AD 52–54, the apostle [[Biography:Paul the Apostle|Paul]] lived in Ephesus, working with the congregation and apparently organizing missionary activity into the hinterlands.<ref>"Paul, St." Cross, F. L., ed. ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church''. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005</ref> Initially, according to the Acts of the Apostles, Paul attended the Jewish synagogue in Ephesus, but after three months he became frustrated with the stubbornness of some of the Jews, and moved his base to the school of Tyrannus.<ref>{{Bibleref|Acts|19:9}}</ref> The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary reminds readers that the unbelief of "some" ({{lang-gr|τινες}}) implies that "others, probably a large number, believed"<ref>Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary on [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/jfb/acts/19.htm Acts 19] accessed 5 October 2015</ref> and therefore there must have been a community of [[Religion:Jewish Christian|Jewish Christian]]s in Ephesus. Paul introduced about twelve men to the '[[Religion:Baptism with the Holy Spirit|baptism with the Holy Spirit]]' who had previously only experienced the [[Religion:Baptism|baptism]] of [[Biography:John the Baptist|John the Baptist]].<ref>{{Bibleref|Acts|19:1–7}}</ref> Later a silversmith named Demetrios stirred up a mob against Paul, saying that he was endangering the livelihood of those making silver Artemis shrines.<ref>{{Bibleref2|Acts|19:23–41|9|Acts 19:23–41}}</ref> Demetrios in connection with the temple of Artemis mentions some object (perhaps an image or a stone) "fallen from Zeus". Between 53 and 57&nbsp;AD Paul wrote the letter 1 Corinthians from Ephesus (possibly from the 'Paul tower' near the harbour, where he was imprisoned for a short time). Later, Paul wrote the Epistle to the Ephesians while he was in prison in Rome (around 62&nbsp;AD).

Roman Asia was associated with [[Religion:John the Apostle|John]],<ref name="CC">[[Biography:Will Durant|Durant, Will]]. Caesar and Christ. New York: Simon and Schuster. 1972</ref> one of the chief apostles, and the Gospel of John might have been written in Ephesus, ''c'' 90–100.<ref name="Harris Gospels">Harris, Stephen L., ''Understanding the Bible''. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985. "The Gospels" p. 266-268.</ref> Ephesus was one of the seven cities addressed in the [[Religion:Book of Revelation|Book of Revelation]], indicating that the church at Ephesus was strong.

According to Eusebius of Caesarea, Saint Timothy was the first [[Religion:Bishop|bishop]] of Ephesus.<ref>{{Citation | last = Eusebius | title = Historia Ecclesiastica | chapter = 3.4 | others = Williamson, G.A. transl. | trans-title = The History of the Church | place = Harmonsworth | publisher = Penguin | year = 1965 | page = 109}}.</ref>

Polycrates of Ephesus ({{lang-el|Πολυκράτης}}) was a bishop at the Church of Ephesus in the 2nd century.  He is best known for his letter addressed to the  Pope Victor I, Bishop of Rome, defending the Quartodeciman position in the Easter controversy.

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 which begins with "Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church which is at Ephesus, in Asia, deservedly most happy, being blessed in the greatness and fullness of God the Father, and predestinated before the beginning of time, that it should be always for an enduring and unchangeable glory" (''Letter to the Ephesians''). The church at Ephesus had given their support for Ignatius, who was taken to Rome for execution.

[[File:House of the Virgin Mary.jpg|left|thumb|House of the Virgin Mary]]
A legend, which was first mentioned by Epiphanius of Salamis in the 4th century, purported that Mary, the mother of Jesus, may have spent the last years of her life in Ephesus. The Ephesians derived the argument from John's presence in the city, and Jesus' instructions to John to take care of his mother, Mary, after his death. Epiphanius, however, was keen to point out that, while the Bible says John was leaving for Asia, it does not say specifically that Mary went with him. He later stated that she was buried in Jerusalem.<ref>Vasiliki Limberis, 'The Council of Ephesos: The Demise of the See of Ephesos and the Rise of the Cult of the Theotokos' in Helmut Koester, ''Ephesos: Metropolis of Asia'' (2004), 327.</ref> Since the 19th century, The House of the Virgin Mary, about {{convert|7|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} from Selçuk, has been considered to have been the last home of Mary, mother of Jesus before her assumption into heaven in the Roman Catholic tradition, based on the visions of Augustinian sister the Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774–1824). It is a popular place of Catholic pilgrimage which has been visited by three recent popes.

The Church of Mary near the harbour of Ephesus was the setting for the Third Ecumenical Council in 431, which resulted in the condemnation of [[Biography:Nestorius|Nestorius]]. A Second Council of Ephesus was held in 449, but its controversial acts were never approved by the Catholics. It came to be called the Robber Council of Ephesus or Robber Synod of Latrocinium by its opponents.

=== Seven Sleepers ===
[[File:20 YTL arka.jpg|thumb|250px|Image of Ephesus on the reverse of the 20 new lira banknote (2005–2008)]]
Ephesus is believed to be the city of the Seven Sleepers, who were persecuted by the Roman emperor Decius because of their Christianity, and they slept in a cave for three centuries, outlasting their persecution.

They are considered saints by Catholics and [[Religion:Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christians]] and whose story is also mentioned in the Qur'an.<ref>{{cite book|last= O'Mahony|first=Anthony|editor= Bartholomew, Craig G|title=Explorations in a Christian Theology of Pilgrimage |year=2004|publisher= Ashgate|location=Aldershot, England|isbn=0-7546-0856-5|pages=135–6|chapter= Louis Massignon, The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus}}</ref>

== Main sites ==
[[File:GateOfAugustus.jpg|thumb|The Gate of Augustus in Ephesus was built to honor the Emperor Augustus and his family.]]
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 evocative of its former life. The theatre dominates the view down Harbour Street, which leads to the silted-up harbour.
{{main|Religion:Temple of Artemis}}
The Temple of Artemis, one of the [[Engineering:Seven Wonders of the Ancient World|Seven Wonders of the Ancient World]], once stood 418' by 239' with over 100 marble pillars each 56' high.  The temple earned the city the title "Servant of the Goddess".<ref>The Revelation Explained: An Exposition, Text by Text, of the Apocalypse of St. John by F.G. Smith, 1918, public domain.</ref>  Pliny tells us that the magnificent structure took 120 years to build but is now represented only by one inconspicuous column, revealed during an archaeological excavation by the British Museum in the 1870s. Some fragments of the frieze (which are insufficient to suggest the form of the original) and other small finds were removed – some to London and some to the İstanbul Archaeology Museums.
[[File:Library of Celsus side view.jpg|thumb|left|Library of Celsus, side view]]
The Library of Celsus, the façade of which has been carefully reconstructed from original pieces, was originally built {{circa|125}} in memory of Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, an Ancient Greek<ref name="Wallace, Richard 1998 106">{{cite book |author1=Richard Wallace |author2=Wynne Williams |title=The three worlds of Paul of Tarsus |publisher=Routledge |year=1998 |page=[https://archive.org/details/threeworldsofpau00wall/page/106 106] |isbn=9780415135917 |quote={{ISBN|0-415-13591-5}}" "Apart from the public buildings for which such benefactors paid – the library at Ephesos, for example, recently reconstructed, built by Tiberius Iulius Aquila Polmaeanus in 110–20 in honour of his father Tiberius Iulius Celsus Polemaeanus, one of the earliest men of purely Greek origin to become a Roman consul |url=https://archive.org/details/threeworldsofpau00wall/page/106 }}</ref><ref name="Nicols, John 1978 109">{{cite book |author= Nicols, John |title= Vespasian and the partes Flavianae, Issues 28–31 |publisher= Steiner |year= 1978 |page=109 |isbn= 9783515023931 |quote= {{ISBN|3-515-02393-3}}" "Ti. Julius Celsus Polemaeanus (PIR2 J 260) was a romanized Greek of Ephesus or Sardes who became the first eastern consul.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author= Forte, Bettie |title= Rome and the Romans as the Greeks saw them |publisher= American Academy in Rome |year= 1972 |page= 260 |oclc= 560733 |quote= The Julio-Claudian emperors admitted relatively few Greeks to citizenship, but these showed satisfaction with their new position and privileges. Tiberius is known to have enfranchised only Tib. Julius Polemaeanus, ancestor of a prominent governor later in the century) }}</ref> who served as governor of Roman Asia (105–107) in the Roman Empire. Celsus paid for the construction of the library with his own personal wealth<ref name="Too, Yun Lee 2010 213">{{cite book |author= Too, Yun Lee |title=The idea of the library in the ancient world |url= https://archive.org/details/idealibraryancie00tooy |url-access= limited |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2010 |page=[https://archive.org/details/idealibraryancie00tooy/page/n221 213] |isbn=9780199577804 |quote={{ISBN|0-19-957780-3}}" "... and son of Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, proconsul of Asia, who founds the Celsian library from his own wealth ... }}</ref> and is buried in a sarcophagus beneath it.<ref name="Hanfmann, George Maxim Anossov 1975 65">{{cite book |author=Hanfmann, George Maxim Anossov |title=From Croesus to Constantine: the cities of western Asia Minor and their arts in Greek and Roman times |publisher=University of Michigan Press |year=1975 |page=[https://archive.org/details/fromcroesustocon00geor/page/65 65] |isbn=9780472084203 |quote={{ISBN|0-472-08420-8}}" "... statues (lost except for their bases) were probably of Celsus, consul in A.D. 92, and his son Aquila, consul in A.D. 110. A cuirass statue stood in the central niche of the upper storey. Its identification oscillates between Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, who is buried in a sarcophagus under the library, and Tiberius Julius Aquila Polemaeanus, who completed the building for his father |url=https://archive.org/details/fromcroesustocon00geor/page/65 }}</ref> The library was mostly built by his son Gaius Julius Aquila<ref name="Swain, Simon 1998 171">{{cite book |author= Swain, Simon |title= Hellenism and empire: language, classicism, and power in the Greek world, AD 50–250 |publisher= Oxford University Press |year= 1998 |page=171 |isbn=9780198152316 |quote={{ISBN|0-19-815231-0}}" "Sardis had already seen two Greek senators ... Ti. Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, cos. Suff. N 92 (Halfmann 1979: no 160), who endowed the remarkable Library of Celsus at Ephesus, and his son Ti. Julius Aquila Polemaeanus, cos. suff. in 110, who built most of it.}}</ref> and once held nearly 12,000 scrolls. Designed with an exaggerated entrance — so as to enhance its perceived size, speculate many historians — the building faces east so that the reading rooms could make best use of the morning light.

The interior of the library measured roughly 180 square metres (2,000 square feet) and may have contained as many as 12,000 scrolls.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Library_of_Celsus/|title=Library of Celsus|date=22 July 2018 |publisher=[[Organization:World History Encyclopedia|World History Encyclopedia]] |access-date=13 August 2020 }}</ref> By the year 400 C.E. the library was no longer in use after being damaged in 262 C.E. The facade was reconstructed during 1970 to 1978 using fragments found on site or copies of fragments that were previously removed to museums.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://turkisharchaeonews.net/object/library-celsus-ephesus|title=Library of Celsus in Ephesus|date=12 July 2019|publisher=Turkish Archeo News|access-date=13 August 2020 }}</ref>

At an estimated 25,000 seating capacity, the theatre is believed to be the largest in the ancient world.<ref name="Ring 1995 217"/> This open-air theatre was used initially for drama, but during later Roman times gladiatorial combats were also held on its stage; the first archaeological evidence of a gladiator graveyard was found in May 2007.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kupper |first=Monika |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6614479.stm |title=Gladiators' graveyard discovered |work=BBC News |date=2007-05-02 |access-date=2009-04-20}}</ref>

There were two [[Social:Agora|agora]]s, one for commercial and one for state business.<ref>{{cite web|author=Ephesus.us |url=http://www.ephesus.us/ephesus/agora.htm |title=accessed September 21, 2007 |publisher=Ephesus.us |access-date=2009-04-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Ephesus.us |url=http://www.ephesus.us/ephesus/stateagora.htm |title=State Agora, Ephesus Turkey |publisher=Ephesus.us |access-date=2009-04-20}}</ref>

[[File:Aqueduct near Ephesus - Mayer Luigi - 1810.jpg|thumb|Aqueduct near Ephesus – Mayer Luigi – 1810]]
Ephesus also had several major bath complexes, built at various times while the city was under Roman rule.

The city had one of the most advanced aqueduct systems in the ancient world, with at least six aqueducts of various sizes supplying different areas of the city.<ref>{{cite web|title=Water Supply – ÖAI EN|url=http://www.oeai.at/index.php/water-supply.html|website=www.oeai.at|access-date=8 May 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Ephesus Municipal Water System|url=http://homepage.univie.ac.at/elisabeth.trinkl/forum/forum1297/05wass.htm|website=homepage.univie.ac.at|access-date=8 May 2017|archive-date=3 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103155213/http://homepage.univie.ac.at/elisabeth.trinkl/forum/forum1297/05wass.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> They fed a number of water mills, one of which has been identified as a [[Engineering:Sawmill|sawmill]] for [[Chemistry:Marble|marble]].

The Odeon was a small roofed theatre<ref>{{cite web |url=http://community.iexplore.com/planning/journalEntryActivity.asp?JournalID=7393&EntryID=13307&n=The+Theater+and+The+Odeum |title=accessed September 24, 2007 |publisher=Community.iexplore.com |access-date=2009-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017132132/http://community.iexplore.com/planning/journalEntryActivity.asp?JournalID=7393&EntryID=13307&n=The+Theater+and+The+Odeum |archive-date=October 17, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> constructed by Publius Vedius Antoninus and his wife around 150&nbsp;AD. It was a small salon for plays and concerts, seating about 1,500 people. There were 22 stairs in the theatre. The upper part of the theatre was decorated with red granite pillars in the Corinthian style. The entrances were at both sides of the stage and reached by a few steps.<ref name="Naci">Keskin, Naci. ''Ephesus''. {{ISBN|975-7559-48-2}}</ref>

[[File:Tomb of Saint John the Apostle.jpg|thumb|left|Tomb of [[Religion:John the Apostle|John the Apostle]] at the Basilica of St. John.]]
The Temple of Hadrian dates from the 2nd century but underwent repairs in the 4th century and has been reerected from the surviving architectural fragments. The reliefs in the upper sections are casts, the originals now being exhibited in the Ephesus Archaeological Museum. A number of figures are depicted in the reliefs, including the emperor Theodosius I with his wife and eldest son.<ref name="Revak"/> The temple was depicted on the reverse of the Turkish 20&nbsp;million [[Finance:Turkish lira|lira]] banknote of 2001–2005<ref>[http://www.tcmb.gov.tr/yeni/eng/ Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615060512/http://www.tcmb.gov.tr/yeni/eng/ |date=2009-06-15 }}. Banknote Museum: 7. Emission Group – Twenty Million Turkish Lira – [http://www.tcmb.gov.tr/yeni/banknote/E7/20m.htm I. Series] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081122023516/http://www.tcmb.gov.tr/yeni/banknote/E7/20m.htm |date=2008-11-22 }}. – Retrieved on 20 April 2009.</ref> and of the 20 new lira banknote of 2005–2009.<ref>[http://www.tcmb.gov.tr/yeni/eng/ Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615060512/http://www.tcmb.gov.tr/yeni/eng/ |date=2009-06-15 }}. Banknote Museum: 8. Emission Group – Twenty New Turkish Lira – [http://www.tcmb.gov.tr/yeni/banknote/E8/18.htm I. Series] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090224222417/http://tcmb.gov.tr/yeni/banknote/E8/18.htm |date=2009-02-24 }}.<br/>[http://www.tcmb.gov.tr/yeni/mevzuat/EMISYON/KARARTEBLIGVEGENELGELER/duyuruytl-ing.htm Announcement on the Withdrawal of E8 New Turkish Lira Banknotes from Circulation] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422212451/http://www.tcmb.gov.tr/yeni/mevzuat/EMISYON/KARARTEBLIGVEGENELGELER/duyuruytl-ing.htm |date=April 22, 2009 }}, 8 May 2007. – Retrieved on 20 April 2009.</ref>

The Temple of the Sebastoi (sometimes called the Temple of Domitian), dedicated to the Flavian dynasty, was one of the largest temples in the city. It was erected on a pseudodipteral plan with 8 × 13 columns. The temple and its statue are some of the few remains connected with Domitian.<ref name="Revak"/>

The Tomb/Fountain of Pollio was erected in 97&nbsp;AD in honour of C. Sextilius Pollio, who constructed the Marnas aqueduct, by Offilius Proculus. It has a concave façade.<ref name="Naci"/><ref name="Revak">''Ephesus''. Distributed by Rehber Basım Yayın Dağıtım Reklamcılık ve Tic. A.Ş. and Revak publishers. {{ISBN|975-8212-11-7}},</ref>

A part of the site, Basilica of St. John, was built in the 6th century, under emperor Justinian I, over the supposed site of the apostle's tomb. It is now surrounded by Selçuk.

== Archaeology ==
[[File:Ephesos overall plan.svg|thumb|Historical topography of Ephesos]]
[[File:Ephesos historical topography.png|thumb|Historical topography of Ephesos]]
The history of archaeological research in Ephesus stretches back to 1863, when British architect John Turtle Wood, sponsored by the British Museum, began to search for the [[Religion:Temple of Artemis|Artemision]]. In 1869 he discovered the pavement of the temple, but since further expected discoveries were not made the excavations stopped in 1874. In 1895 German archaeologist Otto Benndorf, financed by a 10,000 guilder donation made by Austrian Karl Mautner Ritter von Markhof, resumed excavations. In 1898 Benndorf founded the Austrian Archaeological Institute, which plays a leading role in Ephesus today.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oeai.at/eng/ausland/geschichte.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020429175442/http://www.oeai.at/eng/ausland/geschichte.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2002-04-29|title=Ephesos – An Ancient Metropolis: Exploration and History|publisher=Austrian Archaeological Institute|date=October 2008|access-date=2009-11-01}}</ref>

Finds from the site are exhibited notably in the Ephesos Museum in Vienna, the Ephesus Archaeological Museum in Selçuk and in the British Museum.

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, Turkey allowed Austrian archeologists to resume their excavations.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/austrian-minister-thanks-turkey-for-resuming-excavations-131332| title = Austrian minister thanks Turkey for resuming excavations in Ephesus| date = 4 May 2018}}</ref>

== Notable people ==
*[[Biography:Heraclitus|Heraclitus]] (c. 535 – c. 475 BC), Presocratic philosopher <ref>{{cite web |author=theephesus.com |url=http://www.theephesus.com/ |title=accessed September 30, 2013 |publisher=theephesus.com |access-date=2013-10-30 |archive-date=2020-08-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200817223318/http://www.theephesus.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*Hipponax (6th Century BC), poet
*Zeuxis (5th century BC), painter
*Parrhasius (5th century BC), painter
*Herostratus (d 356 BC), criminal
*Zenodotus (fl. 280 BC), grammarian and literary critic, first librarian of the Library of Alexandria
*Agasias (2nd century BC), Greek sculptor
*Menander (early 2nd century BC), historian
*Artemidorus Ephesius ({{circa|100 BC}}), geographer
*Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus ({{circa|45}} – before {{circa|120}}), founder of the Celsus library
*Publius Hordeonius Lollianus (1st century), sophist
*Rufus (1st century), physician
*Polycrates of Ephesus (130 – 196), bishop
*Soranus of Ephesus (1st–2nd century), physician
*[[Unsolved:Artemidorus|Artemidorus]] (2nd century AD), diviner and author
*Xenophon (2nd–3rd century), novelist
*[[Biography:Maximus of Ephesus|Maximus]] (4th century), Neoplatonic philosopher
*[[Biography:Sosipatra|Sosipatra]] (4th century), Neoplatonic philosopher
*Manuel Philes (c. 1275 – 1345), Byzantine poet

== See also ==
* Ancient settlements in Turkey
* [[Religion:Christianity in the 1st century|Christianity in the 1st century]]
* [[Religion:Christianity in the 2nd century|Christianity in the 2nd century]]
* [[Religion:Christianity in the 3rd century|Christianity in the 3rd century]]
* [[Religion:Early centers of Christianity|Early centers of Christianity]]
* Early Christian art and architecture
* [[Religion:Early Christianity|Early Christianity]]
* Nea Efesos

==References==
{{reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name=Olausson2006>{{cite book|last1=Olausson|first1=Lena|last2=Sangster|first2=Catherine|title=Oxford BBC Guide to Pronunciation|year=2006|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford, England|isbn=978-0-19-280710-6|page=120}}</ref>
<ref name="Gagarin2010">{{cite book|author=Michael Gagarin|title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lNV6-HsUppsC&pg=RA2-PA78|year=2010|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-517072-6|pages=2–|quote=Historical Overview A Greek city-state on the Aegean coast of Asia Minor, at the mouth of Cayster River (Küçük Menderes), Ephesus ...}}</ref>
<ref name="Ramirez-Faria2007">{{cite book|author=Carlos Ramirez-Faria|title=Concise Encyclopeida Of World History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gGKsS-9h4BYC|date=1 January 2007|publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist|isbn=978-81-269-0775-5}}</ref>
<ref name=BritishMuseum>{{cite journal | last = Hawkins | first = J. David | year = 2009 | title = The Arzawa letters in recent perspective | journal = British Museum Studies in Ancient Egypt and Sudan | issue = 14 | pages = 73–83 | url = https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/online_journals/bmsaes/issue_14/hawkins.aspx}}</ref>
<ref name="SteadmanMcMahon2011">{{cite book|author1=Sharon R. Steadman|author2=Gregory McMahon|author3=John Gregory McMahon|title=The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Anatolia: (10,000–323 BCE)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ND_CE9If3kC|date=15 September 2011|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-537614-2|page=366 and 608|quote=In the case of such settlements as Miletus and Ephesus, as implied, the Greeks chose the sites of former Anatolian cities of prominence}}</ref>
<ref name=hans253>{{cite book |last= Hanson |first= J. W. |chapter= The Urban System of Roman Asia Minor |title= Settlement, Urbanization, and Population |year= 2011 |publisher= Oxford University Press |location= Oxford, England |isbn= 9780199602353 |page= 253 |editor1-last= Bowman |editor1-first= Alan |editor2-last= Wilson |editor2-first= Andrew |series= Oxford Studies on the Roman Economy |volume= 2}}</ref>
<ref name=hans258>{{cite book |last= Hanson |first= J. W. |chapter= The Urban System of Roman Asia Minor |title= Settlement, Urbanization, and Population |year= 2011 |publisher= Oxford University Press |location= Oxford, England |isbn= 9780199602353 |page= 258 |editor1-last= Bowman |editor1-first= Alan |editor2-last= Wilson |editor2-first= Andrew |series= Oxford Studies on the Roman Economy |volume= 2}}</ref>
<ref name=hans252to257>{{cite book |last= Hanson |first= J. W. |chapter= The Urban System of Roman Asia Minor |title= Settlement, Urbanization, and Population |year= 2011 |publisher= Oxford University Press |location= Oxford, England |isbn= 9780199602353 |pages= 252–257 |editor1-last= Bowman |editor1-first= Alan |editor2-last= Wilson |editor2-first= Andrew |series= Oxford Studies on the Roman Economy |volume= 2}}</ref>
<ref name=pric18>{{cite book |last= Price |first= Simon |chapter= Estimating Ancient Greek Populations |title= Settlement, Urbanization, and Population |year= 2011 |publisher= Oxford University Press |location= Oxford, England |isbn= 9780199602353 |page= 18 |editor1-last= Bowman |editor1-first= Alan |editor2-last= Wilson |editor2-first= Andrew |series= Oxford Studies on the Roman Economy |volume= 2 |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=yf5b50KuibQC&pg=PA18}}</ref>
}}

==Sources==
*Foss, Clive. 1979. "Ephesus After Antiquity." Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 
*Athas, Daphne. 1991. ''Entering Ephesus.'' Sag Harbor, NY: Second Chance Press.
*Oster, Richard. 1987. ''A Bibliography of Ancient Ephesus.'' Philadelphia: American Theological Library Association.
*Scherrer, Peter, Fritz Krinzinger, and Selahattin Erdemgil. 2000. ''Ephesus: The New Guide.'' Rev. ed. 2000. Turkey: Ege Yayinlari (Zero Prod. Ltd.).
*Leloux, Kevin. 2018. "The Campaign Of Croesus Against Ephesus: Historical & Archaeological Considerations", in Polemos 21–2, p.&nbsp;47–63.

== External links ==
{{commons|Ephesos}}
{{AmCyc Poster}}
{{Library resources box |by=no |onlinebooks=yes |others=yes |about=yes |label=Ephesus
  |viaf= |lccn= |lcheading= |wikititle= }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130831204501/http://www.muze.gov.tr/ephesus-archaeological Official website]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20170729223533/http://www.muze.gov.tr/ephesus-archaeological-site-the-terrace-houses Official website of the terrace houses of Ephesus]
*[http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/ionia/ephesos/i.html Coinage of Ephesus]
*[http://www.whitman.edu/theatre/theatretour/ephesus/ephesus.home.htm The Theatre at Ephesus]
*[http://turkishtravelblog.com/ephesus-turkey-ancient-ruins-city/ Photos from Ephesus (2015)]
*[https://themindcircle.com/ancient-greek-city-ephesus/ This Is What The Ancient Greek City Ephesus Most Probably Looked Like] (''The Mind Circle,'' Alpix, 2022)<!-- the author and the date of publication can be seen if you look up the term Ephesus in the search field -->


[[Category:Former kingdoms]]

{{Sourceattribution|Ephesus}}