Ephesus hosts a big variety of buildings and many of them are still perfectly standing. Some of them are in their original form and some are restored by the archeologists. The Odeon of Ephesus Ancient City is a perfect example of the second type.
What did they do in the Odeon of Ephesus Ancient City?
Odeon had two functions back in the times when Ephesus was the capital of Asia Minor State. Firstly Odeon was used as a town meeting hall. It was named as ”Bouleuterion” when it was used for meetings. Elders of Ephesus City used to meet in the odeon every once in a while. They used to discuss matters concerning Ephesus. They used to offer their ideas to the Governor of Ephesus waiting for them Prytaneion of Ephesus. The final decision was still made by the governor. Odeon meetings were more in a counseling manner.
Second use of the odeon was very similar to our day. Odeon was the main concert hall of Ephesus City. Musicians used to give concerts to the city’s elite over here. The biggest difference from today was the music could be listened only by the rich. Instruments were played in the pit still visible today and the singers were singing on the stage. I encourage my guests to sing a song in this wonderful building. I hope you will have some songs ready before you tour. 😀
Discovery and Reconstruction of Ephesus Odeon
Odeon was a very comfortable building with a roof on it. We believe Ephesian engineers used to insert some logs horizontal to the ground and they used to stretch fabric (maybe leather) between these logs. Odeon was discovered by James T. Wood in 1908. Reconstruction was made by Ephesus Archeological Museum in the 1970s.
Odeon is in the borders of the Ephesus Ancient City today. You don’t need to buy an extra ticket to visit the odeon. There are shows still taking place in Ephesus Odeon today. Contact me before you come to Ephesus. You can have a nice Ephesus tour in the day time. You can come again to watch a night show in the Ephesus Odeon later in the evening. I can book tickets for you before your arrival. Write to me if you need to learn more about the Odeon of Ephesus or if you need to book a tour to Ephesus Ancient City. See you soon, Hasan Gülday.
