Precious Heritage
Precious Heritage
One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World was the Temple of Artemis (Artemsion) at Ephesus. Although not much remains of this spectacular temple today, Ephesus has plenty of well-preserved ruins from the ancient city. Founded by the Greeks in around 1000 BC, Ephesus was the capital of Asia during the Roman Empire and their buildings were monumental. The city was also a center of Christianity, where the apostles John and Paul lived and preached. At Ephesus, you can see Roman life up close; the ruins are extensive and accessible.
Archeological ruins –
Theater – As you start in to the ruins, make your first stop the theater, which has been restored so it's in great shape. Climb up and look out over the whole city. You can imagine boats docking at the old harbor to the north, the agora marketplaces thronging with people, library of Celcus well-built terrace houses, fountains, temples and baths along paved streets.
Ephesus Museum – In town, it’s well worth a stop into this museum to see the original artifacts from archeological ruins at Ephesus. The big attraction is the room with two boggling statues of Artemis (Diana), decorated with rows of tiny lions and other animals.
Artemision (Temple of Artemis) – Just beyond the museum, between the town and the ruins, stop to look at one lone column standing in the middle of a large field. You will just have to imagine the majestic Temple of Artemis, 377 ft long, 180 ft. wide, 59 ft., with many columns of gleaming white marble. The temple was burned down in 356 BC, rebuilt, but later wrecked by the Goths, and dismantled by the Byzantines in the 5th century AD. “Adapted from Travel for kids website”