Connect with us

travel

Haunted by the ghosts of the ancients

Published

on

Ephesus, a treasure of Türkiye

It’s a surreal experience, touching marble that was carved into massive stone structures thousands of years ago and walking along the same corridor that led from a port through to a bustling trade centre, also paved with slippery marble, where the footfall of civilisation’s ghosts can be tangibly felt.

It’s goose-bumps stuff, because deep inside ancient structures, the spirits of millennia still dwell. Unlike one tourist who exclaimed that visiting Ephesus, about 30 minutes outside the Turkish resort town of Kusadasi, was the most boring experience of his life, the balance of visitors to this marvel of architecture and human narrative were gobsmacked by the sophistication, the science and the sheer scale of what humankind achieved in a world before machination. The ruins of Ephesus, a giant complex of structures, are magnificent to take in.

From ancient Greek origins to Byzantine influence

Ephesus was one of the most important cities of the ancient world. Among the oldest Greek settlements on the Aegean Sea, it was later the provincial seat of the Roman Empire’s government in Asia. Ephesus was settled by the sixth millennium Before Christ (BC).

It was built on a hill as an AtticIonian colony in the 10th century BC. It is said its founder was a prince of Athens, Androklos, who had to leave his country after the death of his father, King Kodros.

It was founded where the Oracle of Delphi told him a fish and a boar would show him the way. A port city, Ephesus became a major trading centre, although the water has receded now. It was also known as a centre of religion and culture and is home to one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Temple of Artemis.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *