Kaleidoscopes: Ephesus

Our next port of call was Kusidasi, Turkey where we boarded a bus

for the ancient city of Ephesus.

This city of 200,000 was once right on the sea but 2000 years of river silt has resulted in it being 8 km inland now. Our excellent tour guide led us through the excavated part of the city giving us a vivid picture of life there. It was a very wealthy city - a centre for trade that had many shops which sold goods that came from all over the world. She also told us that only one tenth of the city has been excavated so far. We couldn't help but wonder what all still lies under the surrounding hillsides?

This is a city that the apostle Paul knew well. He spent 2 years here preaching the Good News. I took some time to read Acts before coming here and found that Acts 19 came alive in this place. It was here that Paul's confrontation with Demetrius and the silversmiths of the city took place. It was incredible to us to be able to walk the streets that Paul had walked and hear the Biblical account confirmed by the tour guide. Before Paul came, the city was known for its many gods and temples. But our guide told us that not long after,

it became known as a centre for Christianity as evidenced by the numerous Christian crosses found throughout the city.

The statue below was one of many that lined the main avenue. All the VIP's of the city had their statues on the main street - a bit like the row of photos that hang in our city halls today.

The picture above and the one below are of the library - by far the most impressive and complete building in Ephesus. It was built by a prominent businessman named Celcius and featured double walls that enabled airflow between the walls. This was to inhibit the deterioration of the scrolls stored there. It has statues of several goddesses in the front and huge pillars. Absolutely beautiful even in it's ruined state - I can imagine how impressive it would have been in Paul's day.

The grand archways pictured below were to the right of the Library and opened up on to another wide avenue. We were impressed with the with the gorgeous architecture and marveled at how it had been built.

They even had hot and cold water in most of the private homes and public buildings, and communal latrines(with a marble seat!)and a vast drainage system.
Many of the private homes had wonderful mosaics on the walls and floors which indicated the status and wealth of the family living there.

The decorative carving on the buildings was so beautiful and often illustrated various myths and legends as well as famous battles. This carving depicts the goddess of victory, "Nike". Can you see the Nike Swoosh?

We were awed by the size of the main amphitheatre where Paul preached. It seated up to 25,000 people! The Romans added the upper section at a later date.
The Pillars behind the marble stage floor were part of the backstage and
once had a roof over them.