History
of Ephesus
Ancient
writers largely agree that Ephesus was
founded sometime between 1500 and 1000 B.C,
and this is supported by archaeological
evidence at the site. Later, it appears
that lonians settled in the cities of
lonia. According to legend, under the
leadership of Androklos, son of Kodros,
the migrants arrived in Anatolia, and
asked their sages where their new city
should be established.
The
sages prophesied that a wild boar and a
fish would lead them to the site of the
new settlement. One day, Androklos,
himself a new migrant from Greece, was
cooking fish on an open fire, when a fish
flew from the pan into the nearby bushes.
Sparks from the fire also ignited the
bushes, and as they flared up, a wild boar
ran out of the bushes to escape from the
flames. Androklos pursued and killed the
boar. Then recalling the words of the wise
men, he built his city on this site, which
is at a place about 1200 metres west of
the Artemision, where the original city of
Ephesus was founded. The cities of lonia
were later joined together in a federation
entitled the Ionian confederacy. Androklos,
the city's first king, died in battle with
the Carians, and the Ephesians erected a
memorial to their first monarch. In the
7th century B.C, Ephesus was invaded by
the Cimmerians, who razed the city to the
ground, and burnt what they could,
including the temple of Artemis. After
this, Ephesus was ruled by a series of
tyrants.
Throughout its later history, consequent
to this early setback, Ephesus seemed
protected from harm by the gods, and
prospered either through chance or through
the politics of its citizens. In the 6th
century B.C, the Artemis temple was
restored by the Lydian King, Croesus, who
resettled the inhabitants of around the
temple. But when Croesus was defeated in
battle with the Persians Ephesus fell
under Persian rule, along with the other
cities of lonia. One of the most important
features of the city was that it was an
important port which served to link Sardis
to Susa. The Ephesians used this factor to
their own advantage in many ways. Miletus,
for example, had been destroyed and burnt
down during the Ionian invasion, although
it had been a trade rival of Ephesus. By
deciding not to support the Milesians,
they both strengthened their own position,
and improved trade opportunities.
Alexander the Great showed a great
interest in this city as he passed through
Anatolia, largely because of the
significance he accorded to the temple of
Artemis. After Alexander, a similar
interest was shown by his commander
Lysimachos, who had the city's harbour,
which had already begun to silt up at that
time, dredged of river silt. Thanks to his
efforts, the city was able to carry on as
a trading centre for some time. Lysimachos
also helped to build a new Ephesus as a
fortified town between Mt. Pion and Mt.
Koressos. These fortifications had walls
10 metres high and covered an area 9 kms.
in length. The city was further expanded
by migrants who moved there from Lebedos
and Colophon. It was during this period
that Ephesus was adorned with a theatre, a
staqium and a gymnasium.
In 88 B.C., the Ephesians allied with
Mithridates, the ruler of Pontus against
the Romans, and succeeded in killing
thousands of Roman troops, but later began
to realise the extent of the Roman
strength and changed sides. This made them
not only an ally of Rome, but also caused
Rome to appoint Ephesus as the capital of
the Asian province. Until the 1st century
AD., the Ephesians enjoyed generally good
relations with neighbouring states and
with Rome, due to successful diplomacy.
However, this did not protect them from
the force of an earthquake which hit the
city in 17 AD, and destroyed it
completely. During the reign of the
emperor Tiberius, the city was
reconstructed and enlarged. Later, it was
adorned with shrines and other buildings
during the reign of Hadrian. The new city
bore the definite seal of Roman
architecture, in place of the Hellenistic
city. It retained its political and
mercantile supremacy during this period,
and began to have religious significance
during the Christian era, as it was said
to have been the place of residence chosen
by the mother of Christ after his
crucifixion. However, the harbour began to
silt up once again, and it gradually
declined as a trading centre. Completely
blocked with silt, the city became
uninhabitable, and during the reign of the
Emperor Justinian (527 -564 AD.) the
inhabitants moved to the hills of Ayasoluk,
where the same emperor built the basilica
of St. John. The new settlement, which had
been fortified, fell to the Turks in 1090.
Now let us visit the Museum of Ephesus to
look at the statue of Artemis Ephesia, the
altar of the Temple of Domitian, the
Socrates frescos and the Theodosian
reliefs from the temple of Hadrian. After
studying these beautiful artefacts, we may
move on to the basilica of St. John on the
slopes of Ayasoluk. This magnificent
basilica was built during the 6th century
AD. by the emperor Justinian, and
dedicated to St John. The entrance to the
basilica was on the western façade, and
the plan of the church was cruciform. The
narthex was covered with a single cupola,
and the church proper with six domes
supported on columns. Under the central
dome was situated the tomb of St John.
On the eastern end of the church were bays
arranged in a semi-circle, used by the
priests during ceremonies. The floors are
mosaic, and to the north of the tomb are
frescos on which are depicted several of
the saints. In the centre is the figure of
Christ, and to his left is that of St John
and a priest The basilica has been
restored several times, and on the
capitals of several of the columns be seen
the monograms of the Emperor Justinian and
the empress Theodora. In 1869, an
Englishman named Wood discovered the site
of the Artemision. Excavations were
carried out after this in 1904 by another
Englishman named Hogarth. In 1895 the
temple was first excavated by an Austrian
team, and it is Austrians who are
presently engaged in excavational work
around the site.
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