Turkish delights

One more picture from the day at Ephesus—I took this picture at a souvenir shop I passed on the way back to the ship in Kuşadasi. I wasn't tempted to buy anything; I'm trying to have less junk in my life. But I do love all that color and pattern.

Artemis

The two large statues of Artemis in the museum were by far the most interesting exhibits. The Temple of Artemis that was one of the Seven Wonders of the World had been recognizably Greek, at least according to the models in the museum; this goddess most definitely was not. Instead of the virgin huntress with the short tunic and a quiver and bow, the Ephesian Artemis looked almost Egyptian.

This statue is from the first century AD, and those odd egg-like protuberances on her chest probably represent the amber beads that decorated earlier statues and not, as I first assumed, a couple dozen extra breasts.

I think that's a fitting end to Ephesus: something strange and completely unexpected.

I had at least heard of these two

These statues in the museum are of Augustus and Livia. Many of the statues in the museum looked like something out of a bad dream; that neck on Livia is a particularly good—or maybe I mean particularly bad—example. She reminds me of the Tenniel Alice in Wonderland after eating the cake that made her grow.

Reliefs

I do know that's Nike on the left; unlike most of those immortalized in stone at Ephesus, I had at least heard of her.

Temple of the Sebastoi

I do remember this one.

Sebastoi was the Greek rendering of the Roman Augustus, so this temple honored the emperors. It was built in the first century AD for the Emperor Domition, but after his assassination in 96 AD, the Senate ordered his memory erased. His name was removed from inscriptions, his coins were melted, and the temple in Ephesus was renamed to honor emperors in general rather than Domition in particular.

Arches and columns

I very quickly lost track of what all these structures were. There were so, so many: streets and temples and mosaics, and columns and arches that no longer had much context.

Back to Ephesus

Classes are finished now and it would be ideal if I could finish writing about my last journey before heading off for my next one (a short road trip along Lake Superior over the Memorial Day weekend, so imminent.)

This is the main agora in the city, or actually a small section of what is an enormous open space. You can see a side view of the library in the background.

Guard dogs

I had previously posted some pictures of cats among the ruins, and it's only fair to point out that the site was also protected by these fierce guard dogs.

The theatre

An arena any popular musical act would be proud to sell out, with seats for 25,000 people.

It's located on Harbor Street, which as its name indicates, once led to the port. Centuries of deforestation and soil erosion have led to a buildup of sediment, and the actual coast is now a couple of miles from the city.

Comfort station

Some of the toilets in the public baths. In cold weather, the wealthier patrons would sometimes send servants to sit on the stone seats for a while to warm them up before exposing their own backsides to the chilly marble.

We were told that men would often stay here and chat with each other after concluding their business, which just made me pity anyone who got stuck sitting next to St. Paul.

Streets of Ephesus

 

A closer look

I wish I had taken some closeups. The detail on the stonework was wonderful.

The Facade, sans moi

 

The Library of Celsus

This is the picture-postcard image from Ephesus, and it is even more spectacular in person. So much so that it makes me want to overcome my usual reluctance to post pictures of myself and give myself a little visual pinch. Yes, I was actually there!

The library was built in the second century, and was one of the three great libraries of the ancient world, after Alexandria and Pergamum. The library contents were burned in 262, and the building was destroyed by an earthquake in probably the 11th century. Archaeologists re-erected the facade in the 1970's; the rest of the building is still in ruins.

Getting closer

The library, peeking from behind some of the other ruins.

Entering the city

This was taken near the entrance of the archaeological site, heading down one of the main streets towards the library, which you can see in the distance.

Ephesus

I've put off posting any pictures from Ephesus because it was so overwhelming—in the best way!—and I just haven't had the mental bandwidth to take it on.

I still don't but I'm going make a start. The ruins in the main city, mostly Roman, with streets where Antony and Cleopatra once walked, are jaw-dropping, but there's been a city on the site since Neolithic times. It's been, at various times, a major Greek trading center, an outpost of the Persian Empire, and for a while was even under the rule of King Croesus of Lydia.

This is the Temple of Hadrian, built in the second century AD.

Urban poetry

This is a good example of the advantages of being able to Google places I've visited after the fact. I took this picture the day I visited Ephesus, and if I had any idea what the building was then, I no longer remember it. I was intrigued by the glass shapes sticking out of the domes; they looked like giant soda bottles and I've never seen anything like them. And I loved the giant stork's nest on top. The actual storks wouldn't be showing up again until spring, but you could see their nests everywhere.

I would have liked to know more about those domes, but unfortunately I didn't know where exactly I took this picture. I was walking around a little before getting back on the bus, I knew that. At the Basilica of St John, maybe? Checking the time stamps on other photos narrowed it down. It was at the Ephesus museum in Selçuk, not the basilica. And by using Google Street View, I was able to find the building. It's a public bathhouse across the road from the museum. I still don't know the significance of those peculiar domes, but I guess I can live with that.

Saturday reflections

A Turkish diversion—I just found this photo from Ephesus. This is the entrance to the site, with some of the ruins reflected in the windows of the ticket office.

The Seven Wonders of the World

This is the view from the Basilica of Saint John in Selçuk. The single column that you can see on the left-hand side is most of what remains of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Looking at this picture made me realize that on this trip I saw the locations of three of the seven wonders: the Temple of Artemis, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia.

They're always coming up with new versions of Seven Wonders, but the original is the only one I ever remember. I've seen the Great Pyramid, the only one of the wonders still standing, and I've seen where the Lighthouse of Alexandria was, so that's five of seven. I'm almost certainly never going to Iraq and no one knows whether the Hanging Gardens of Babylon even existed, so unless I happen to find myself in Bodrum, Türkiye, where the omnipresent Knights of St. John used stones from the famous Mausoleum to fortify their castle, five of seven is all I'm going to be able to check off. And that's fine with me.