Ephesus

By far the most extensive excavation in Turkey, Ephesus is simply breathtaking. Founded in the 10th Century BCE, Ephesus began to flourish after Roman control around 130 BCE. At its peak, Ephesus may have been home to 80,000 people. It's astounding amphitheater could seat 25,000 and is still used for concerts today.

Ephesus is one of the seven churches mentioned in Revelation, and its possible the Gospel of John was written here, although its more likely John's community was living nearby, not in Ephesus proper. Touring Ephesus, the incredible technological achievements of the Roman Empire become awe-inspiring.Yes the Empire could be cruel, and yes, they brutally murdered and tortured anyone that disagreed or dared start an insurrection (like Jesus, for example). Yet, there is simply no denying the Romans were among the greatest civil engineers the planet's ever seen. Since we still use so many of their techniques, perhaps they were the best, ever.

I took 211 photos in Ephesus. Here are the highlights:

Reconstructed Arch.

This is a good example of Roman roof construction: Columns, a lentil,
and a crossbeam that served as the support for roofing materials. We construct roofs
in exactly the same manner today (although we use different materials).

A mosaic sidewalk outside a high-incoming housing district.

Many streets jun Ephesus were paved with marble. Many slabs were chiseled
with little marks to help people avoid slipping after a rainstorm.

This little pizza wheel shows up all over Roman ruins. Our Turkish guide told us
that this was an early Christian symbol, because you can spell Jesus in Greek by
overlaying the letters of his name. This is not true.

It's most likely the pizza wheel is a game board for something like Chess or Checkers!

A view down Ephesus' main street, toward the library.

Archaeologists recently uncovered an entire block of apartments, including
this one, which would have been owned by an extremely wealthy individual--
think the Bill Gates of the Roman Era.

A statuary apse.

Frescoes were a less expensive way to decorate walls, although it wasn't cheap.

Detail of a fresco.

The fresco as part of the larger room. You can see that all the walls and ceiling
would have been decorated.

Looking down into what was probably a sanctuary dedicated to the local god.

An excellent example of fresco painting. This is NOT restored!

Mosaic tile covered all the floors that weren't marble. Marble is plentiful in this area.

Work in progress.

Some of the marble wall panels reattached.

Marble columns adorn the walls of what might have been a ballroom. Marble would
have covered every bit of the floors and walls.

Marble wall panels in detail.

A CGI rendering of how the above room probably looked.

More plumbing!
Notice how it runs in a corner, and is then covered by a decorative wall.
This technique is still in use today.

An overview of mosaic floors with mythological themes.

A wonderful example of frescoed walls.

Fresco detail.

Turkish and German archaeologists have erected a protective covering over this unbelievable
discovery. The homes are well preserved because an earthquake
just happened to cover them with soil that prevented more serious decay.

Long shot of the apartment complex.

Detail of a Medusa mosaic. This is NOT restored!

What would a post be without Roman plumbing? Here, it's easy to see how they
pioneered the in0wall techniques we STILL use today. Amazing!

A wealthy individual would have hot and cold running indoor water. Who's primitive now?

An absolutely astounding room, unrestored, completely covered in frescoes.
This is how a wealthy Roman house was decorated.

Close up of some of the frescoes.

The ceiling of the library. This was the third largest library in the ancient world.

The facade of the library at Ephesus. It has been largely restored, something archaeologists
frown upon these days, but for tourists, it's simply incredible.