The most intriguing facts about Ephesus are the old stories around the Temple of Artemis. The temple was lost for many centuries and found again in 1869, its strange statue still puzzles people, and the sister of Cleopatra was killed on its steps. The ten facts below come first, then a few more stories.
- The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus was burned down by Herostratus on the same night when Alexander the Great was born.
- Ephesus of Asia Minor was located by the Aegean Sea and it was the main port city connecting Eastern and Western parts of the Roman Empire.
- Paganism was the dominant religion in Ephesus till the 4th century when Christianity took over.
- A column from the temple of Artemis temple with Croesus’s signature is in British Museum today.
- Emperor Theodosius of the Byzantine Empire destroyed all the leftovers of the temple of Artemis in Ephesus.
- The first railway line stop in Anatolia was nearby Ephesus and called Ayasuluk station which was built in 1867.
- When Ottomans took control of Selcuk city in the 15th century, Ephesus was already abandoned for nearly one millennium.
- House of Virgin Mary in Ephesus is not just a place of pilgrimage for Christians also for Muslims.
- Besides, hosting the temple of Artemis, Ephesus once had 15 other temples built for 15 other gods in the same time.
- Most of the ruins that we see in Ephesus today are from Emperor Augustus’s reign which took place between 27 BC and 14 AD.
Who Found the Temple of Artemis?
A British architect found the Temple of Artemis on the last day of 1869, after six years of searching. He had first come to western Turkey to design railway stations, and in 1863 he left that job to look for the lost temple. It lay about 20 feet (6 meters) under sand. Many of his finds also went to the British Museum in London too.
Today only single column stands on the site, put together from pieces found there. But the last temple was huge, about 137 meters long and 69 meters wide, with columns around 18 meters high. You can read more about the digs in my article on the excavations in Ephesus through time.
What Are the Round Shapes on the Statue of Artemis?
Nobody knows for sure what the round shapes on the Artemis of Ephesus are. For a long time people said they were many breasts, a sign of fertility. Others say they were ornaments, maybe eggs or bull testicles from the sacrifices, and in the 1980s diggers found amber drops where the first wooden statue stood, which may be their model.
Who Was Killed on the Steps of the Temple of Artemis?
Arsinoe IV, the younger sister of Cleopatra, was killed on the steps of the Temple of Artemis in 41 BC. She had found shelter inside the temple, because it protected people running from punishment. Mark Antony ordered her death, at the wish of Cleopatra, and Rome was shocked that a holy place was not respected.
Read the rest of this old drama in my article about the tale of Cleopatra in Ephesus.
What Is the Legend of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus?
The legend says seven young Christian men hid in a cave nearby Ephesus to escape the persecution of Emperor Decius, around AD 250. They fell asleep there and woke up many years later, when the city was Christian. The Quran tells the same story in the chapter called The Cave. By the way, we call them Ashab-ı Kehf in Turkey, the Companions of the Cave.
The cave is on the slope of Mount Pion, hundreds of graves from the 5th and 6th centuries were found around it, with inscriptions to the Seven Sleepers. I wrote the full story in my article about the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus.
I hope you liked these stories. For more hidden details, like the tomb in the Library of Celsus and the doctor Soranus of Ephesus, read my 10 unknown facts about Ephesus.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Ephesus famous for?
Ephesus was famous for the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and for its busy harbor. Later it became famous in Christian history, because Apostle Paul and Saint John lived here, and tradition says the Virgin Mary lived in a small house nearby.
How was Ephesus discovered?
Digging began in the 1860s, when a British architect searched for the lost Temple of Artemis and also dug in the theater. Austrian teams have worked on the site since 1895, and they still dig there today, so new finds come out often.
Why was Ephesus abandoned?
The river slowly filled the harbor with silt, so the sea moved away and the port stopped working. The Goths, an earthquake in 614 and later raids made things worse, and people slowly moved up to Ayasuluk Hill, where Selçuk stands today.
