Ephesus

Jim and Lisa in Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey

for their first of many anniversaries

John to the seven churches (Ephesus...) which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne

"Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience..."

Ephesus was the largest city in Roman Asia and one of the largest in that era with a population in 1st Century of 500,000

Gladiators fought in the amphitheatre. The city had one of the most advanced aqueduct systems in the ancient world, with multiple aqueducts of various sizes to supply different areas of the city, including 4 major aqueducts.

Although sacked by the Goths in 263 CE, Ephesus remained the most important city of the Byzantine Empire after Constantinople in the 5th and 6th centuries. However, other destructions by the Arabs in the year 700 and 716 spurred a quick decline: the city was largely abandoned when the harbor completely filled in with river silt (despite repeated dredges during the city's history), removing its access to the Aegean Sea. When the Seljuk Turks conquered it in 1090, it was a small village. After a short period of flourishing under the new rulers, it was definitively abandoned in the 15th century

Click on map above to see the location

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The library of Celsus, was built in honor of Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus (completed in 135 A.D.) by Celsus’ son, Gaius Julius Aquila (consul, 110 A.D.). Celsus had been consul in 92 A.D. governor of Asia in 115 A.D., and a wealthy and popular local citizen. The library was built to store 12,000 scrolls and to serve as a monumental tomb for Celsus. It was unusual to be buried within a library or even within city limits, so this was a special honor for Celsus.

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There was a St. John identified with Ephesus as early as the 1st century, who seems to have originally been the author of Revelations who was exiled to the isle of Patmos. By the second century this John was equated with John the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of John, presumed also to be the same person as John the Apostle, beloved disciple of Jesus. Legend has it that John wrote his gospel in Ephesus at the request of other disciples, then died in the church named for him on Ayasoluk Hill.

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Ancient Amphitheater in Ephesus - Temple of Hadrian Roman Emperor from AD 117 to 138

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Model of the Temple of Artemis one of the 7 wonders of the Ancient World

Pliny the Elder recorded the length of this new temple at 425 feet and the width at 225 feet. Some 127 columns, 60 feet in height, supported the roof.
The building is thought to be the first completely constructed with marble and one of its most unusual features were 36 columns whose lower portions were carved with figures in high-relief

Some kind of church on the site dated to around 3000 BC. The temple as we know it was first built in around 550 BC, destroyed by a 7^th century flood, and rebuilt several times. Alexander the great offered to pay for its rebuilding and was told by those not wanting his name on it how can one temple be to two Gods.

Built for the Goddess of Artemis also called Diana

"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ"

Back on the ship

Young Ephesian making a rug

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Celebrity

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