Exceptional Ephesus

Last year I visited Ephesus, and I have to say it blew me away. The city is very well preserved because it was abandoned and so it wasn't covered over by new construction. It was abandoned because the harbor silted in and the valley in which it is located turned into a malaria-infested swamp. When we entered the city we walked past some ruins and then came to the main street which ran down a hill. The street was paved with stone and lined with statues. Buildings on either side...including a bathhouse, a small theater, Hadrian's temple (see picture), and a lot of others.

The next picture is of the Library of Celsus, which was built by the Romans in 120 A.D. The facade was reconstructed in the last century. The statues in the nooks represent Wisdom, Knowledge, Destiny and Virtue.

There were a lot of seats in the public toilets. Running water below kept things cleaned out. It was the place to socialize and catch up on the latest gossip.

There was also a brothel in Ephesus and various stone figures emphasizing the male anatomy have been found. They even sell replicas of the little twisted statues in the gift shops, along with "genuine fake watches."

So I was impressed on the one hand by the beauty and advanced nature of the ancient culture but by the pagan banality as well. It reminded me that our so-called progress has not changed things all that much.