April 11: Ephesus - From Artemis to St. John the Divine

Today was our Ephesus day.  In some ways this was covering old ground, as Margaret and I have both been here with school groups before.  However, on those occasions we were on a tour and limited to what the tour and time allowed.  On this visit we were able to explore the site more thoroughly.  In particular we were able to enter the "Terrace Houses" where we saw remarkably intact dwellings with marble and mosaic floors and walls and frescoes in excellent preservation.  Much here was as good as you will see in Pompei.  We also saw the Cave of the Seven Sleepers; the Ephesus Museum, where many of the treasures from Ephesus are displayed; the Church of St. John; and had an up close view of the Citadel, which is has been temporarily closed for nine years.

We found that much more of the site is roped off than on our previous visit 4 years ago.  For example, you can no longer sit on the latrine seats and make infantile comments and expressions.

The other thing we saw at Ephesus that we did not before was the Church of Mary.  This Church, built in the late 4th Century AD was home to the Great Synod - the first gathering of Church Leaders made in order to establish orthodoxy.  In 431 a second synod was held that determined that Christ was the Son of God and Mary begot him by a virgin birth.  It also determined that Jesus was God, and not just an exalted person, and determined which texts would go into the Bible, and which would be apocryphal.  The roots of the division between Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox begin here. So much history in one now ruined building!

Of course, the main sites of Ephesus, like the Library of Celsus still dazzle.  But, this was the first site we have visited that was truly overrun with tour groups, so that it made getting around a bit of a challenge. Somehow there is something romantic about the deserted sites that we visited earlier in the trip, such as Bloundus, that is lost in the crowds and the children playing hide-and-seek.

We learned that the "Ephesus" style of sarcophagus has the wreaths and rosettes, as elaborate as the family could afford, and often personalized.  However, these started out as blanks, like the sarcophagus right under the tree, and some of the sarcophagi never quite got their final carving.

The Harbour Road.  Anthony and Cleopatra, St. John and St. Paul all walked this street, noe a few good miles from the harbour.

The city was inhabited until the eleventh century, and then was abandoned to its silt and mud.  Now that it is reconstructed and excavated, you get a real sense that this was in fact a city where people made their lives.

A bit of the fresco from the terrace houses.

A mosaic floor from the terrace houses.  Editors note:  I am afraid of glass floors, especially when they are elevated:  it's a real phobia.  I was just feeling proud of how I was coping when Ian pretended to fall through.  I think he volunteered to write the blog today to get back in favour.

The famous Library of Celsus.  They had a good display (in German) of how they had put it back together, both stories, even though parts were missing.  It was interesting, but even more interesting to think that the last time it was erected, they didn't have rebar, pneumatic drills, or cranes with engines.

I thought thius was an amazingly lifelike statue of a cat.

 From Ephesus we went to visit the cave of the Seven Sleepers.  Apparently, 7 Christian youths fled to these caves to escape persecution in the 3rd Century AD.  They fell asleep and slept for 200 years.  When they woke again, Christianity was the new state religion so they were able to live their lives free from fear.  Given that the "beds" of the seven shown in the Ephesus museum were in fact ossuary (small stone boxes made to hold the bones of the deceased all stacked up) it is hard to see how this story could have flown.

Ian and I have just had an argument.  I pointed out that the niches are quite large, and the ossuaries were for when they died and were buried where they had previously slept.  The legend also says they had their dog with them.  I like that part.

After a pit stop to drop off the car near our hotel, we continued our visit to Selcuk on foot.  Our first stop was the Ephesus Museum.  It really helped us understand the significance of some of the things we had seen.  We particularly liked the "Edict for maintaining the Efficiency of Ephesus Harbour".  Neither of us could read the Greek, so Margaret amused herself by making up the text:  "Don't let the harbour silt up:  if the harbour silts up, dig the silt out and take it away.  If you notice silt in the harbour, deal with it."

Marcus Aurelius

Some guy.  A really individualized portrait, full of personality.

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever. . ."

The harbour declaration.  . . . If you see silt, and you don't get rid of it, the harbour will silt up. . .

This goddess, adjusting her shoe (Artemis) is onloy about 7" high, and incredibly detailed.

An ossuary from the Cave of the Seven Sleepers

I always find the grave stelae very moving.  Loss is loss in any age.

From the Seven Sleepers we continued our journey into the New Testament by visiting the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine.  The original structure was built by the Emperor Constantine in the mid 4th Century AD.  A much bigger church was built around this one by the Emperor Justinian in the 6th Century AD.  The alter of both Churches was built over the Tomb of Saint John.  I found it awe inspiring to be at the known tomb of a known man who lived in the 1st Century AD, never mind any religious connections.

The columns in the church were taken from the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus -- one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World!

There were some amazing mosaic floors.

The marker above the tomb of St. John the Evangelist.  He wrote the Book of Revelation while exiled on Patmos, but returned to Ephesus, where he died at the age of 100.

A view down the body of the church.

Today was sunny, nice after the heavy rains we had yesterday, but cooler than before.  We toyed with the idea of taking the Ferry to Samos tomorrow, but instead we have decided on a nature day.  The day after tomorrow we are on to Pergamun.  It's hard to believe we have already been in Turkey for almost 3 weeks!

If you see the single column near the centre of the picture, that is all that is left of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

A stork on the aquaduct.  He (She?) looks just like the one from every baby card you ever saw, except he is not wearing horn rimmed glasses or carrying a doctor's bag.