Pigeon Island formerly Bird Island

There's a small island in the bay at Kuşadaşı (Turkey) that is now known as Pigeon Island. In fact it isn't an island at all since it is connected to the mainland by a mole now. Back in Byzantine times that wasn't the case and the island was fortified and used as a defence against seaborne attack by pirates, hence the name of the fortification, Pirate Castle.

The island got it's name from the seasonal migration of birds and was known as Kuşadaşı, “Bird Island” in Turkish. During Ottoman times the island was given to the town, which then also became known as Kuşadaşı (Bird Island). To avoid confusion the island was renamed Pigeon Island.

Kuşadaşı or Bird Island from which the modern city takes its name

It makes me wonder whether the migrating birds were actually pigeons? If so perhaps the modern city of Kuşadaşı should be renamed Pigeon City, which would be apt given the number of pigeons on the streets of the city!

Ephesus: the Grand Theatre and Harbour Street

This will be the last blog post from my trip to Ephesus and of course I've kept the best for last.

The Grand Theatre

With a seating capacity of almost 24,000 and room for 1,000 standing spectators the Grand Theatre at Ephesus was the largest theatre in Asia Minor and the biggest Hellenistic theatre anywhere.

Arguably the most magnificent structure in Ephesus, the Great Theatre is located on the slope of Panayir Hill, opposite the Harbor Street and easily seen when entering from the south entrance to the city. It was originally constructed in the Hellenistic Period in the third century BC during the reign of Lysimachos, but was enlarged during the Roman Period to its current style that is seen today.

The Grand Theatre

Did you know the term Theater is derived from the Greek word Theatron which means "the place to observe?" Also, the half circle shaped section was called Orchestra and performances were held on the stage building known as a Skene. During the Hellenistic period Skenes were built in 2 storeys, 3 storeyed Skenes didn't appear until the Roman period.

The Grand Theatre

Harbour Street, also known as Arcadiane, was a magnificent colonnaded avenue, renovated at the beginning of the 5^th century A.D. in honor of Emperor Arcadius. It was 550 meters long and 11 meters wide leading from the harbour to the theater. The street was paved in marble and had shops and galleries on both sides behind the colonnades.

Harbour Street

The two pedestrian walkways behind  the colonnades were 5 metres wide and paved with mosaics. At night the Arcadiane was lit by torches, making Ephesus, along with Rome and Antioch, one of the three ancient cities known to have had street lighting.

Looking at Ephesus today it is perhaps hard to think of the city being on the water's edge and having a harbour. Thanks to 2,000 years of silting, the sea is now some 7 kilometres away.

There is far more to Ephesus than those buildings/areas I have mentioned in my recent blog posts. To do the city real justice I would need to spend rather more time there than I had available. It is my intention to return to Ephesus at some point in the future and explore further.

Ephesus: the Gate of Mazeus and Mithridates, the Marble Road and the Commercial Agora

The Gate of Mazeus and Mithridates is a triumphal arch located at the end of Curetes Street in the small square that forms the Celsus Library Court. It was built around 40 A.D. by the slave architects Mazeus and Mithridates in honor of the emperor Augustus who gave them both their freedom and sent them to Ephesus to serve as officers in charge of maintaining the properties belonging to the Roman Empire.

The Gate of Mazeus and Mithridates

The 16 metre tall gate has vaulted passages topped with cassettes. The side of the gate that faces the Celsus Library is made entirely of black marble, while the opposite side of the gate is made entirely of white marble.

Centre arch with dedication plaque

The roadway running through the Gate of Mazeus and Mithridates and past the Commercial Agora is known as the Marble Road. The Marble Road also forms part of the Sacred Way with Curetes Street. It was constructed in the 1^st century A.D. and its east side was adorned with marble sculptures along its 4 km length.

Pictogram advertising the Brothel 

A woman's head, a heart and a left foot had been drawn on the pavement of the street. This is considered to be one of the oldest advertisements as the message in the pictures, addressed to visiting sailors, gave directions to the Brothel.

The Marble Road

The western side of the Sacred Way was enclosed by the Commercial Agora. Visitors today can still see the remains of the columns standing on a base-wall of 1.7 meters high. This wall was built as a pedestrian walk-way during the reign of Nero, along with a series of stairs both on the north and the south ends of the Agora.

Commercial Agora

Being the most important trade center of Ephesus, the Commercial Agora was built in the third century B.C in the Hellenistic Period. It is in the form of a square with 110 meter sides, and surrounded completely by columns and had covered walkways (Stoa) to protect patrons from the sun.

The north side of the Agora is left open, and the other three sides are surrounded by a portico, in which there are rows of shops. At the center of the Agora was a sundial and a water-clock with a 20 minute cycle.

In addition to the marketing of goods there was also a slave market of beautiful girls brought to the city by sea. It was the second largest slave market of the Ancient World. An inscription found on the wall of agora says "The people of Ephesus express their gratitude to agoranome, (market supervisor) Eutuches, son of Menecrates, for having pre-empted a rise in the price of bread".

Remains of the Stoa (covered walkway)

Busts and statues of the important people of the time would have been erected along the Marble Road surrounding the Agora, and letters from the emperor would have been carved into the blocks of the road for people to read.

Ephesus: The Square and Celsius Library

There is a small square on Curetes Street, facing the Celsius Library. To the right of the square stands the brothel and to the left was a fountain, dating to the Byzantine era, and the Gate of Hadrian.

Gate of Hadrian

Interestingly there is a 'Sign Board' in the marble road adjacent the brothel representing a woman's head, a left foot and a pattern of hearts, which is really a pictogram.  It reads "A little bit on the left there are beautiful women, who in spite of their broken hearts will give you love."

Brothel Signboard

It amuses me somewhat that the brothel and library are in such close proximity. I guess it could be argued that both establishments were places of learning.

The Celsius Library viewed from Scolastica Bath

The restored edifice of the Celsius Library stands on the western side of the square. It was originally built as the tomb of Tiberius Celsius Polemanus, Proconsul of the Province of Asia.

The Celsius Library

The two storey building behind the edifice was used a library where manuscripts and parchment rolls were kept. To protect the manuscripts from humidity a passage was built in the masonry, allowing air circulation behind the storage niches.

Celsius Library and Gate of Mithridates

The two storey facade reflects all the architectural characteristics of Emperor Hadrian's period. The building is placed on a podium formed by large steps leading to the first floor and was decorated with beautifully carved Corinthian columns.

In the niches between the doorways of the facade are statues representing Wisdom, Fortune, Science and Virtue.

Facade and Statues

The original statues are housed in the Ephesus Museum in Vienna, the ones on display in the library facade are modern copies.

The Square including Hadrian's Gate, Celsius Library and Brothel

This small square off Curetes Street must have been a vibrant place what with the comings and goings of patrons to the brothel, government officials and scholars visiting the library, and those paying homage to the Emperor Hadrian or visiting the fountain.

Usky's visit to the city of Ephesus - Pt.4 - The Sacred Way, left side

The two sides of The Sacred Way are very different. While on the right as you walk down the marble roadway you are bombarded by huge and elaborate monuments, the left side is bordered by the earthy hillside of Mount Coressus until you approach the lower end of the street.

The Sacred Way

There is undoubtedly archeology waiting to be discovered in the hill, where work has been undertaken complexes of houses and shops have been uncovered.

Shops and storage warehouses

The shop fronts are small by modern standards, but we should remember most shopkeepers were solely responsible for the produce they sold.

Individual shop fronts with houses behind

The jewel in the crown is hidden from sight by a covered area where delicate work and restoration is still underway; I refer to the area known as the Terrace Houses of Ephesus.

Just to the rear of the shops on Curetes Street near the Library of Celsus there are six luxurious residential buildings that were in use from the 1^st century to the 7^th century AD. Because of their location on the slopes of Mt. Coressus they have become known as the Slope Houses or the Terrace Houses.

These two storey houses were abandoned in the 7^th century AD following a series of devastating Arab raids and the continued silting up of the city harbor, which caused the Ephesians to move to Ayasuluk Hill.

Each house has an elaborate series of decorations, with mosaic floors. The ground floors consisted of living and dining rooms while the upper storey housed the bedrooms and guest rooms. The walls are decorated with frescoes involving theater scenes.

These houses were built according to the Hippodamian grid style plan popular in the city during Roman times. Each one was built with an atrium with an entrance onto the side street. They were equipped for running water and supplied with heating through clay pipes similar to the city’s bath houses.

After abandonment the houses fell into decay or were buried under soil from landslides. The soil proved to be a good preservation agent and the houses with their contents have offered archeologists a close look into the lives of the Ephesian upper class in the Roman and Byzantine periods.

Usky's visit to the city of Ephesus - Pt.3 - The Sacred Way, right side

The roadway that runs from the Dominitian Temple to the Library of Celsus was known as The Sacred Way or The Curetes Street.

The Sacred Way or The Curetes Street

The Curetes, a religious brotherhood, were serving the Artemision and held an annual procession from the Prytaneion to Ortygie to celebrate the birth of the goddess Artemis. That must have been something to see.

The Dominitian Temple

There are a number of buildings behind and beside the Dominitian Temple that are all built into the hillside. There was no information available to explain these, but I suspect some comprised part of the temple itself.

Some remind me of storerooms.

Judging from the decoration on some of the carved stone there must have been an Asclepion (healing temple) in this area.

The carved sign for an Asclepion

The serpent was used as a medical symbol because of the snake’s ability to shed its skin and renew itself. At the same time the ancients also knew that snake venom had curative powers.

A depiction of the god Asclepius

Continuing down The Sacred Way we pass Nike (pronounced Nee-key), the Winged Goddess of Victory in Greek Mythology (Roman name Victoria).

The winged goddess of victory Nike

Temple of Hadrian

The Emperor Hadrian visited Ephesus in 128 A.D. and built a temple on The Sacred Way in an act of commemoration.

Temple of Hadrian

Temple of Hadrian

Our next major relic is the Trajan Fountain (The Nympheum).

The Trajan Fountain

The fountain was destroyed by an earthquake, what we see today is a reproduction. The original was much taller and presumably grander, but at least we can get an idea of the fountain's magnificence.

Mosaic decoration

The lower section of the fountain contained two pools with a U-shaped two storey monumental facade.

Situated near the Trajan Fountain were the Scholastikia Baths. These had two entrances, one on The Sacred Way and the other on a street that ran parallel to it. The baths bare the name of a rich woman, Christiane Scholastikia, who restored them in 400 A.D.

Scholastikia Baths

Behind the baths and part of them are the communal toilets, for men only, where the important gentlemen of Ephesus would congregate to discuss topical affairs while they relieved themselves.

Detail from the toilets

Nice marble seating, perfectly cool on a hot day!

Toilets at Ephesus

The toilets were constructed along the walls of the baths and the Temple of Hadrian. They consist of marble benches, surrounding a pool with a wooden ceiling. A gutter in front of the benches contained continuously flowing clean water.

And this is a convenient place to close Part 3 of my Ephesus visit blog.

Usky's visit to the city of Ephesus - Pt.2

If you read my previous post you'll recall I had just started to explore the ancient city of Ephesus and made it as far as the small theatre (Odeon) or Bouleterion. Shall we move on?

Leaving the Odeon

That's a pretty impressive roadway isn't it? It leads us towards to main part of the city and takes us past the Palace of Parliament and the Temple of Domitian.

Palace of Parliament

Temple of Domitian

There were other important buildings along this road too, but these are currently being excavated.

As we turn the corner we pass the Monumental Gateway of Memnius and enter The Sacred Way.

Monumental Gateway of Memnius

Top of The Sacred Way

 We'll spend a little time along The Sacred Way since it is an important area of Ephesus, but I will leave that for Part 3 of my visit to Ephesus blog.

Lower part of The Sacred Way with the Library of Celsus in the background