Ephesus

Crossing through the ancient city wall, we found ourselves at the Bouliterion, the administration “convention hall” of the Roman city. Almost like an ancient theater, but on a smaller scale and open to the sky, the seats rose up several stages. We crossed over and looked down Curates street at the city spread out before us. Strolling down the marble street we passed the mosaic-tiled pedestrian walkways of old, lined with their shops and stalls. We looked at several ancient fountains that provided water for the city, and then began an somewhat trying climb for some up the side of the mountain overlooking the city.

We were met by one of the modern archaeologists who accompanied us up to a small cave set into the side of the hill. Here, possibly in a grotto once sacred to Cybele, we found frescoes and graffiti from the fifth to sixth centuries, including one of the early portraits of the Apostle Paul and a young woman that ancient texts tell of attaching herself to his ministry. The apocryphal Acts of Paul tell the story of this young woman, Thecla, and her ministry to the Gospel during the first century throughout Asia Minor.

The climb up the hill afforded us a fantastic view of the city below, included the great theater that we visited later. From high up we could see the commercial agora, Harbour Street, and the ancient church where the Fourth Ecumenical Council was held in the early 5^th century.

Our return to the city below took us into the ancient latrines, past an early advertisement for a brothel(!), and to the restore facade of the Library of Celsus, one of the largest in the Roman Empire.

Lunch was taken at a carpet weaving school in the shade of wonderful trees in a cool breeze. Then, we were given a demonstration of how silk is extracted from the cocoon of the mulberry eating caterpillar, and we were shown hundreds of carpets of all varieties and styles. Several folks haggled their hearts out and took home soon to be family heirlooms. A great time was had by all.

We moved on to the remains of the great Artemision, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, now completely gone, its pillars and stones robbed out for later buildings. One of them was the Church of Saint John, built over the tomb of the Apostle and great church leader of this region.

We finished at the archaeological museum, seeing the remains of great statues and small finds uncovered in the excavations of Ephesus. A fantastic, tiring, fun-filled day!