ANCIENT CITY OF EPHESUS

     

    

The first foundation of the ancient city of Ephesus within the borders of Selçuk District in İzmir Province dates back to 6000 BC. Recent researches and excavations have revealed Bronze Age and Hittite settlements in the mounds (prehistoric hill settlements) around Ephesus and on Ayasuluk Hill where the castle is located. The name of the city was Apasas during the Hittite Period. The harbour city of Ephesus, where immigrants from Greece started to live in 1050 BC, was moved around the Temple of Artemis in 560 BC. Ephesus, which is visited today, was founded by Lysimakhos, one of the generals of Alexander the Great, around 300 BC. Ephesus, which lived its most glorious times during the Hellenistic and Roman periods, had a population of 200,000 people as the capital of the Asian province and the largest harbour city. Ephesus was relocated again during the Byzantine Period and came to Ayasuluk Hill in Selçuk, where it was founded for the first time.

What is the most important feature of the ancient city of Ephesus?

    Ephesus, which was the main gate between East and West, was an important harbour city. This position enabled Ephesus to develop as the most important political and commercial centre of its time and to become the capital of the province of Asia during the Roman period. Ephesus does not only owe its importance in ancient times to this. The largest temple of the Artemis cult based on the ancient Anatolian mother goddess (Cybele) tradition is also located in Ephesus. The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus is considered one of the seven wonders of the world. Ephesus was an ancient Greek city on the west coast of Anatolia, 3 kilometres from today's Selçuk district, which later became an important Roman city. It was one of the twelve cities of Ionia during the classical Greek period. Its foundation dates back to 6000 BC in the Neolithic Age. The first foundation of the ancient city of Ephesus within the borders of Selçuk District of İzmir Province dates back to 6000 BC, the Neolithic Period, the Neolithic Stone Age. Recent researches and excavations have revealed Bronze Age and Hittite settlements in the mounds (prehistoric hill settlements) around Ephesus and on Ayasuluk Hill where the castle is located. 

    The name of the city was Apasas during the Hittite Period. The harbour city of Ephesus, where immigrants from Greece started to live in 1050 BC, was moved around the Temple of Artemis in 560 BC. Ephesus, which is visited today, was founded by Lysimakhos, one of the generals of Alexander the Great, around 300 BC. Ephesus, which lived its most glorious periods in the Hellenistic and Roman ages, had a population of 200.000 people as the capital of the Asian province and the largest harbour city. Ephesus was relocated again in the Byzantine Age and came to Ayasuluk Hill in Selçuk, where it was first founded. In 1330, Ayasuluk was taken over by the Turks and became the centre of Aydınoğulları, and gradually started to shrink from the 16th century onwards. After the establishment of the Republic in 1923, it was renamed Selçuk and today it is a touristic place with a population of 30.000 people. Ephesus, one of the most important centres of the ancient world, has always played an important role in the fields of civilisation, science, culture and art throughout its history dating back to the 4th millennium BC. Ephesus, which was the main gate between East and West (Asia and Europe), was an important harbour city. This position enabled Ephesus to develop as the most important political and commercial centre of its age and to become the capital of the province of Asia during the Roman period. However, Ephesus did not only owe its importance in antiquity to its development as a major trade centre and its status as a capital city. The largest temple of the Artemis cult based on the ancient Anatolian mother goddess (Cybele) tradition is also located in Ephesus. This temple is considered one of the seven wonders of the world. Since Ephesus has been relocated many times throughout its history, its ruins spread over a wide area. These ruins spread over an area of approximately 8 km², excavation-restoration and arrangement works have been carried out and are open to visitors.

1- Ayasuluk Hill (the earliest settlement dated to the 3rd millennium BC and the Church of St. Jean, which belongs to the Byzantine period and is of great importance for the Christian world)

2- Artemision (an important religious centre from the 9th-4th centuries BC; Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the world)

3- Ephesus (Archaic-Classical-Hellenistic-Roman and Byzantine Period settlement)

4- Selçuk (Seljuk, Ottoman settlement and the modern city that hosts this settlement, which is an important tourism centre today), Ephesus, which was an important civilisation centre in ancient times, is still an important tourism centre visited by an average of 1.5 million people annually.

    The first archaeological excavations in Ephesus began in 1869 by J.T. Wood on behalf of the British Museum. Wood's excavations to find the famous Temple of Artemis were continued by D.G. Hogarth after 1904. The Austrian excavations at Ephesus, which continue today, were first started in 1895 by Otto Benndorf. The work of the Austrian Archaeological Institute, which was interrupted during the First and Second World Wars, continued uninterruptedly after 1954. In addition to the work of the Austrian Archaeological Institute in Ephesus, the Ephesus Museum has been carrying out excavation, restoration and arrangement works on behalf of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism since 1954.