“The guys are using the Roman baths as a cafeteria,” says Günaltay. “They are meeting in Roman Baths for talking, for gossip, sometimes for discussing the gladiator games and elections of the Roman Empire, important issues.”
Visitors can explore the nearby Terrace Houses — seven well-preserved Roman aristocratic homes — for an extra 15 euros, on top of the 40-euro entrance fee to the archaeological site. Inside are private baths which were supplied with hot and cold water through clay pipes, along with painted frescoes, colorful mosaics and handwritten wall graffiti.
Keeping the flame alive
“The Prytaneion is the second-most important building of Ephesus, after the Artemis temple,” says Günaltay, pointing to the arched columns that remain. Priestesses once kept a sacred flame burning there day and night, believed to represent the life force of the city. “If the holy fire is alive,” the city is alive, she says, adding that an extinguished flame would signal that “the ending of the Roman Empire is coming. So the people are very scared of this reality.”
Two statues of Artemis were discovered here, depicting the Greek goddess of hunting and abundance with fertility symbols around her torso — interpreted variously as breasts or testicles. They are now on display at the Ephesus Museum.
The Temple of Artemis, whose origins date back as early as the 7th century BCE, was one of the largest Greek temples ever built. Arsinoe IV, the younger sister of Cleopatra, was executed on the temple’s steps in 41 CE by order of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. The temple, more than 330 feet long and 150 feet wide (roughly 100 meters by 46 meters), was burnt down in 356 by an arsonist named Herostratus. He was executed for the deed and the case is considered one of the earliest recorded acts of terrorism. Today, only one reconstructed pillar remains at the original temple site, located outside of the main archaeological park.
.gif)
0 Comments