Ephesus II: Ephesus, the Rest

Ephesus' history is similar to many of the other coastal cities of Anatolia: neolithics, Hittites, Myceneans, Ionians, the Ionian League, Persian rule, alliance with Athens and the Delos League, alliance with Sparta in the Peloponnesian War, more Persians, rescue and prosperity after Alexander, a bunch of local kings, then Roman rule and prosperity. Under the Romans, it was capital of the Province of Asia Minor and its population may have reached 250,000. Of course, it was also a major city in Christian development, where the hostile theatre crowds turned Paul into a writer of letters, and the 3rd Ecumenical Council, in the fifth century, beat back the Nestorians and proclaimed Mary "Mother of God." (Succeeding Cybele, Diana, and Artemis (in her own town!), but we won't go into all that.) A big and famous place, with appropriate ruins. Ephesus languished as the harbor silted-up, and, by the time the Seljuks got there in the 11th century, it was just a small town. By the 14th century, it had been abandoned completely. We spent the morning at Ephesus, and then after lunch drove out to Pamucak, the beach fronting what was once Ephesus' harbor, with the island of Samos in the distance, spending the afternoon there, hoping to spend the night there too. At length, the Jandarma said "no camp" (we have learned to ask), and we went back to our little lay-by up in the hills above Selcuk.

Part of a 100m long mosaic lining the main (pedestrian--no

chariots) drag in Ephesus

Fountains of Traianus

Along the colonnaded main drag, outside the Odeon and

city hall

The Odeon

City Hall

Monument of Memmius, late Hellenistic



Gate of Hercules



Main drag looking toward library

Temple of Hadrian

Latrine, marble veneer still in place on some of the, um,
"positions"



Paint on the wall of a private residence

Gladiator along one of the streets



Ephesus' theatre--largest we have seen--could seat 25,000;

Vicki is there chanting "Artemis! Artemis!"



Distant, wider view of the colossal theatre

Ephesus I: Vicki at Celsus' Library

Vicki wanted to have the Celsus Library at Ephesus all to herself--a tall order considering it is the centerpiece of probably the largest and best known ancient Roman city in Asia--so we got up early Sunday morning and were likely the first people in the gate. She indeed had the Library to herself and her trusty photographer.

Dawn's rosy fingers (we've been listening to a lot of Homer

lately) peek over the mountain as we approach the city

center

And there it is just around the bend (is that a

great shot or what?)



Vicki presents the Library of Celsus Polemaeanus, Governor

of the Province of Asia Minor, 2nd century



Interestingly, the library was double-walled,

to preserve the 12,000 scrolls from humidity

and heat

Vicki on the pedestal of Athena in the

Library

The Library's porch



Arete (Goodness), one of the Four Virtues (I

would have preferred Episteme or Ennoia or

Sophia, but they didn't have heads); the

originals are in Vienna since it was the

Austrians who excavated this bit

Vicki reading at the Library

Above Ephesus

Saturday we left Pamukkale, where we had spent two nights in a parking area at the bottom of the terraces, and drove back to the vicinity of Selcuk and nearby Ephesus.

Detouring for a drive-by of the less-developed Laodikeia;

here, its pretty ruined theatre

And some other structures

We thought we'd drive up to the Meryemana,

the conjectured house of the Virgin Mary,
where she spent her last years, mainly to see
if overnight parking was possible; it wasn't,
so we drove back down the mountain a ways
and found a nice enough lay-by

Ephesus used to be a harbor city, until silting up, and

I wanted to get a view of the Aegean nearby; so I started

walking up the road, then turned off onto a forest service-

type road, then off onto a footpath leading to the top of

the ridge, wherefrom, I reasoned, I might be able to see

Ephesus and the sea; atop this ridge (Bulbul Dagi, Mt.

Coressos) run the ruins of a wall and towers, which I later

learned were Hellenistic

There's the sea, and you can also see the silted-up plain

that was once Ephesus' harbor (as I write, we're on the
beach there, at Pamucak)

So I hiked up to the wall and one of the towers



For a nice view of Selcuk

Its citadel, the Isa Bey Mosque, St. John's, and Garden

Camping

And Ephesus; its Odeon

Other structures

And theatre

Hierapolis

After walking up through the terraces--a singular experience I do recommend, even to those as tender-footed as I--we entered the ancient city of Hierapolis, a spa resort now, and as long before. First Hellenistic, then Roman, it declined as the Christians took over, who replaced pleasure with guilt.

The major baths are now the museum



But the antique pool remains...



Where you can swim among the relics, columns and capitals; I miscalculated 
the temperature, figured it to be merely tepid, and so we didn't go

Nymphaneum

One of many huge spare parts lots

Temple of Apollo

Theatre; there was so much else to see in Hierapolis, I'll spare you the interior, 
high, and low shots

A part of the major agora and victory column

Hillside remains of Greek theatre

Main street

The Latrine; seriously, I have interior shots to prove it



Yet another set of baths



Tomb

Other than the terraces, perhaps the most impressive feature of Hierapolis 
is its necropolis, which seems to go on and on and on 

Or possibly the plumbing, with miles of these raised little 
artificial ditches, bringing the mineral water wherever it was 
needed

Pamukkale

Pamukkale means "cotton castle," and it is a series of high travertine terraces, fed by hot springs, that have long been of scenic and recreational interest. At the top of the terraces is the Hellenistic/Roman spa city of Hierapolis (next post). The terraces are best seen from above, and there are three ways (other than flying) of getting there: 1) drive up to the south gate and walk to the boardwalk, 2) drive up to the north gate and walk to the boardwalk, and 3) walk up the terraces to the top. We opted for 3). But I should note that 3) entails doing the terrace walk barefoot (for environmental reasons) and also entails walking back down. As an American, I can say Pamukkale is similar to Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone. But Pammukale is far more vast, is alive, and has a great ancient city at its top. I'll just let the pix speak for themselves.