Advertisement
Published: September 20th 2013
Edit Blog Post
There is very little that can be said about Ephesus that hasn't been said before and better. It is a wonderful restoration of life in the 5th largest city in the Roman Empire. As we wander through the streets and visit the sights, we can get a good idea of what it was like to live in Ancient Roman times.
Obviously, religion paid a central part in everyday life, yet business was being conducted daily. We can hear the echo of St Paul as he preached here in the giant amphitheater. We can walk in the footsteps of Anthony and Cleopatra as they made their way from the old harbor to the central city. We can imagine resident scholars visiting the library to refer to scrolls. We can see the people visiting the agora to buy food and other household goods. We see temples of worship on the way, making us aware of how much the gods played a part in daily life.
Excavation continues and there is much to uncover about the ancient world but what has been revealed so far should make us wonder at the engineering expertise of the ancient minds.
Ephesus had running hot and cold running water. They had heated floors and air conditioning similar to swamp mortar technology. They were literate and had a sophisticated political system. They had a sewage system that took human waste away.
One strange practice was of business being transacted in the public rest room. Only the elite business community used these facilities as there was a fee. The men would sit on stone seats and use sponges as toilet paper. A channel ran under the seats and would carry the waste away. There was a fountain in the enclosure that mitigated the odors. Very strange.
The library facade has been lovingly renovated and one can get a real sense of the wonders of Roman stonework. The great theater was originally constructed in Greek times and enlarged during the Roman era. It is immense but the acoustics were such that even in the cheap seats one could hear the actors or the music.
Ephasus was an important city even in the time of Alexander. It was the crossroads of the land trade routes to the east and the Med to the west.
Alexander made it part of the Greek Empire, then it fell to the Romans and on down the ages with one culture replacing another over and over again.
Our guide, Oz, was a former English teacher and a wonderfully personable and knowledge guide with over 25 years experience. He sits on the tour guide council and help train younger folks. Our tour originally had six members but two were no-shows so the four of us and Oz enjoyed a private tour. Oz knew all the shady spots and we lucked out as the crowds were not suffocating.
The port of Kusadasi is a modern Turkish city. There are many hotels and shops and restaurants and coffee houses. We stopped for a local beer, Efus, but it was more like Bud than Red Donkey. While many wandered around looking for bargains in the shops, we opted to return to the ship for lunch a dip in the pool and a short nap.
We wake refreshed and dress for our second and last formal night. It is going to be a struggle to drink the wine package we ordered and I
have no idea what to do with the Champagne that we received for our anniversary.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.065s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 16; qc: 29; dbt: 0.0329s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb