Pictures of
Ephesus
To say the very
least, Ephesus was an important city in the ancient
world. Located on the Western shore of Asia Minor,
modern day Turkey (see map below and in section 5), it
was, in fact, the capital of that Roman province and its
greatest commercial city. It sat at the mouth of the
important Cayster River, right on the shore of the
Aegean Sea, and therefore functioned as the “Gateway to
Asia.”
Taken from several sources
(each of which is noted), the pictures on this page
provide a small view of the ancient city of Ephesus. My
personal favorite is the one below. I can only pray that
someday I will get to see all this for real.
Amphitheatre and Arcadian Way in Ephesus with
ancient seaport in the background
(©
Philip Baird – www.anthroarcheart.org – Used with gracious
permission)
Notice that the Aegean Sea far in
the distance does not come to the city shores, as it
once did. Even in Paul’s day the harbor was silting over
so badly that the port was no longer at the shoreline.
Notice the map
below.
1. THE FOLLOWING DRAWING
IS FROM HTTP://WWW.CENTERCE.ORG/ AND IS USED HERE
WITH THEIR GRACIOUS
PERMISSION.
MAP OF EPHESUS
Note the Temple
of Artemis (Diana), the Agora (Market Place), the
Theater, and the Harbor.
2. THE FOLLOWING PICTURES
ARE FROM HTTP://WWW.OURFATHERLUTHERAN.NET/ AND ARE USED HERE
WITH THEIR GRACIOUS
PERMISSION.
CURETES
STREET
Along Curetes Street
looking west. This section was restricted to pedestrians
only and was part of the Sacred Way leading to the
Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the
Ancient World.
TEMPLE
OF ARTEMIS
Artist's conception of the
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. One of the seven wonders
of the ancient world was the great temple of Diana (or
Artemis in Greek), which was located at a sacred site of
an ancient Anatolian fertility goddess, about a mile and
a half northeast of the city. It was widely represented
on Roman coins, and was reported to be four times the
size of the Roman Parthenon. Consisting of 127 white
marble columns, each 62 feet high, it was 425 feet long
and 220 feet wide.
3. THE FOLLOWING PICTURES
ARE FROM WWW.BIBLEPLACES.COM AND ARE USED HERE WITH THEIR
GRACIOUS PERMISSION.
REMAINS
OF THE TEMPLE OF ARTEMIS
Considered one of the
seven wonders of the ancient world, Ephesus' Temple of
Artemis was dedicated to the goddess of the hunt.
Only the foundation and one column remain (and even that
was erected by archeologists). Paul's successful
ministry in this city was considered a threat to this
very temple (Acts 19:27), and God ultimately brought the
city and its religion to nothing.
COMMERCIAL AGORA
This market area is known
as the "Square Agora" because of its dimensions 360 ft
square. It arose in the Hellenistic period and was
surrounded on all sides by arched shops about 40 ft
deep. It is located next to the harbor and was the
city's main commercial center. It is quite
possible that Paul worked here with Priscilla and Aquila
in their tent-making business.
AMPHITHEATER
Originally holding 25,000
people, this theater was built in the Hellenistic period
and was renovated by several Roman emperors.
Designed for theatrical performances, later alterations
allowed gladiatorial contests to be held here.
When Paul was accused of
hurting the Artemis and her temple, the mob gathered
together in this theater (Acts 19:23-41).
TERRACE
HOUSES
From the time of Augustus,
these dwellings of wealthy Ephesians, were decorated
with beautiful frescoes and mosaics. The houses had
luxurious bedrooms, bathrooms, triclinium, and kitchens.
Built against the mountain south of Ephesus, the roof of
one house forms the terrace for the house above
it. These houses were inhabited until the 7th c.
A.D.
4. THE FOLLOWING PICTURES
ARE FROM WWW.SOFTWAREARTIST.COM/ AND ARE USED HERE
WITH THEIR GRACIOUS
PERMISSION.
VARIUS
BATHS
The Varius Baths was built
during the Hellenistic age, and later enlarged and
refurbished during the Roman and Byzantine
periods.
COMMERCIAL AGORA
Another picture of the
agora.
AMPHITHEATER
Another picture of the
Great Theatre, viewed from the Harbor Road. Notice how
it was built against the slope of Mt Panayir.
AMPHITHEATER
Another picture of the
Great Theatre.
THE
HARBOR ROAD
5.
OTHER PICTURES
CURETES
STREET
Today, the view down
Curetes Street is still one of the most impressive in
what remains of the city. This street was once lined
with temples, monuments, fountains, statues, houses of
the wealthy, public rest rooms, and expensive shops.
Curetes Street offered a pleasant view from the Panayir
Mountain before it arrived at the Mazeus Gate and Main
Square of the city at the meeting point of the hills.
Today, although only facades, partly standing walls, and
broken statuary remains, it is still remains an
impressive sight.
IMAGE
OF ARTEMIS
Artemis (Diana) supposedly
fell directly from Heaven to Earth. The image was of a
crowned woman with multiple breasts that symbolized
fertility. The temple was so popular that Ephesus became
the religious center of all Asia. Besides Diana worship,
Ephesus was also known as the center of occult arts and
practices. Indeed, what better place could there have
been from which to launch evangelistic
outreach?
PAUL’S
Second JOURNEY
(Taken from the King James Study
Bible, Thomas Nelson
Publishers)
PAUL’S
THIRD JOURNEY
(Taken from the King James Study
Bible, Thomas Nelson
Publishers)
CHESTER BEATTY PAPYRUS MANUSCRIPT (P46)
Dated A.D. 200, the
Chester Beatty papyrus manuscript (P46) is the earliest extant manuscript of Paul’s
epistles. As discussed in the Introduction, it has
Pros Ephesious
(“to
Ephesians”) at the top of the first page.
