Roman Pergamum and Ephesus

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After ANZAC day the tour continue with us following the standard tour route thought Turkey. Over the next two days we visited a number of ancient roman sites, all UNESCO World Heritage listed sites.

Sites we visited included the hill top town of Pergamum with it’s amphitheatre. We also visit the neighbouring Asclepion where Galen the great roman physician hospital was located.

The next day we travelled to the legendary Roman city of Ephesus. Originally founded as a Greek city it became the Roman capital of Asia Minor It includes the ruins of the Temple of Artemis - one of the Seven Ancient Wonders. Major sites seen included the Great Theatre once capable of seating 25,000 spectators, Curetes Way, the Temple of Serapis, the façades of the Temple of Hadrian and the awesome Library of Celsus.

The ruins were amazing and you could see the transition in the buildings styles and features from Classical Greek to pagan Roman and final to early Christian Roman. A key point to remember is when Constantine transferred the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Constantinople (Istanbul) in 330 AD it was because the wealth and power of the Empire had shifted from the west to the east. This has resulted in Turkey having one of the best collections of ancient Greek and Roman cities and in the world.

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