Ephesus and More!

On Sunday Dan and I took a night bus from Fethiye to Aydin, transferred from there to Didim, and didn't have to wait long before one of our professors, Vasileios, and his wife, Orgu, picked us up in a rental car for a day of ancient city hopping. We couldn't have had better companions, especially since Orgu has done extensive archaeological work in Turkey and was able to give us the lowdown. Our first stop was the temple at Didyma, which once housed an oracle second only in importance to the one at Delphi. We made a quick stop at Miletus to catch a glimpse of the amphitheater, then moved on to Priene, which is a beautiful city dramatically set against a mountain. We saw the remains of a stadium, a church, and a Hellenistic style amphitheater. I could definitely get used to having my own VIP theater seat!



Ephesus comprises much more than just the ancient city. We started with the Basilica of St. John, where St. John's tomb is supposed to be located. It was later converted to a mosque, and even later flattened. Modern reconstructions can fortunately give us a good idea of what the place looked like. Next stop was the Ephesus Museum, which was fantastic. It was filled with all kinds of interesting sculptures, including a few of many-breasted Artemis.



We also got to see a statue of Domitian that looked like a giant murderous baby. No wonder nobody liked that guy.



Before hitting the site of Ephesus itself, we stopped by the alleged house of the Virgin Mary, who is said to have been brought to the area by St. John after Jesus entrusted her to his care. The house itself was hunted down based on the visions of a dying nun. While there is a steep 12.50 TL admission fee, the ticket will inform you that this money is not actually an admission fee—it is a donation made for the upkeep of the area where Mary's house is located. There is a long pathway to get you all jazzed up for the house itself, which is... just a house. Photos are forbidden inside, but honestly you aren't missing anything. All of the hype just prepares you for a statue of Mary with some flowers around it.



Outside there is an area where you can light votive candles, and beyond that there are faucets that relay water from the sacred spring. The gift shop sells special bottles for you to fill with said water. The last thing you see is a wall completely covered with notes asking for help, guidance, and happiness. We even saw multiple heartbreaking requests for the safety of a missing girl. Even though Mary's house itself was nothing special at all, the pilgrimage activity surrounding it makes the area into something special.



Ephesus the city was pretty spectacular—there are plenty of inscriptions still in place, as well as another amphitheater, some terrace houses, a market place, and a colonnaded main street. One of my favorite parts was the library facade, which was decorated with sculptures and invoked all kinds of wonderful things for the main donor, Celsus. We also got a kick out of the graffito that allegedly points the way to a brothel. Orgu, who knows a ton about Ephesus and gave us an amazing guided tour, mentioned that according to some sources prostitutes would wear shoes with the equivalent of "For a good time, follow me!" printed on the soles, so that lascivious men could follow them home.



And then there was the impressively well-preserved latrine, which featured very smooth seats but, at least by modern standards, left you a little too close to your neighbor for comfort.