May 23, 1999 - Ephesus, near Selcuk, Turkey
Ephesus is likely the best-preserved Roman city
outside the Roman Forum itself, and it is undoubtedly the best to imagine what life in
those times was like. Why? The barriers were few enough that one could get close to
everything, and so much of the city was left. And it was probably the largest in the Roman
empire's eastern edge.
Ephesus was the Roman capital of Asia Minor and
attracted lots of religious figures. St. John came here (it is said) with the Virgin Mary,
and then St. Paul whose Letter to the Ephesians was written to people he had known from
his three-year stay here.
The facade of the Library of Celsus was most
intact and unabashedly amazing. Hands-down our favorite part of the "city." It
was constructed in 110 A.D. and held 12,000 scrolls in innovative weather-and-time
preserving niches around its walls. Remnants of the statues of the four Virtues were in
front, Sophia for Wisdom was our favorite.
Our second favorite place was the Great
Theatre, a huge amphitheater of Hellenistic design. It had amazing acoustics and had seats
for over 25,000 people. We tested it out (the acoustics, not the people) and when we stood
at the very top row we could distinctly hear Vija's operatic impressions being sung below.
The smaller Odeum Theatre only held 1,400 seats, dated from 150 A.D.
The Brothel was fairly interesting too; many
small rooms scattered about the main area, and a centralized water pump certainly must
have induced cleanliness and personal hygiene of the clients and employees.
The public toilets were also quite amusing. As
so many men could use them simultaneously, the Romans ingeniously added running water
below, so as to drain the area fast. But what about the noise, you ask? They comissioned
musicians to play nearby to help drown out the sound.
Ephesus contained the typical stales of Roman
life: a commercial agora, connecting roads, temples, and fountains. The Temple of Hadrian
featured a head of Medusa to keep out evil spirits. There were so few barriers and gates
that it was definitely a great way to get up close and see what city life was like in
Roman times.
