(Note: Click on small pictures to see a larger version)

This trip reminded me that in ancient times the coast of Turkey was populated with Greek city-states. Troy, for example, is in modern-day Turkey. The area is also called Asia Minor, but was simply referred to as Asia back then.

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last; and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. [Rev 1:10-11]

Ephesus was a major trade center on the Aegean in biblical times, so it was natural for Paul to take his message there. He taught there for two years, making many converts. Ephesus was not only a trade center, but it was a major shrine of the goddess of the hunt, Artemis. Many pilgrims came to visit her shrine, and bought silver images to take home with them. Paul's teachings threatened this trade, so we read in Acts 19:23-30:

About that time no little disturbance broke out concerning the Way.
A man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the artisans.
These he gathered together, with the workers of the same trade, and said, "Men, you know that we get our wealth from this business.
You also see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost the whole of Asia this Paul has persuaded and drawn away a considerable number of people by saying that gods made with hands are not gods.
And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be scorned, and she will be deprived of her majesty that brought all Asia and the world to worship her."
When they heard this, they were enraged and shouted, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
The city was filled with the confusion; and people rushed together to the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul's travel companions.
Paul wished to go into the crowd, but the disciples would not let him;

So, because he was interfering with a major source of revenue for the city, Paul found it expedient to take the next ship to Macedonia. The Church in Ephesus continued to grow and Paul gave them (and us) guidance through his letter to the Ephesians.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling,
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift. [Eph 4:4-7]

So when we put in at the Turkish port of Kusadasi (pronounced Cúshadasé) we looked forward to visiting this famous city and walking in Paul's footsteps. The old port has silted up over the years, and Ephesus is now about five miles inland from the coast. On the way to the site the guide explained that around 300 A.D. the silting got so bad that the area around Ephesus turned into a swamp. A series of malaria epidemics decimated the population and the survivors abandoned the city. The unhealthful conditions actually preserved the structures since nobody even wanted to come in and haul off the stones to build other cities.

	This picture, snapped on the way to Ephesus shows four different cultures in Asia Minor. Click on it for an explanation.
		We entered at the upper end of town, where the temples and public buildings were. Marie is in the small theater or Odeon.
			There had been quite a lot of work done restoring many of the buildings. Many are in honor of famous people of the time.
			This Nike (goddess of victory),  gateway and entablature were typical of how well preserved the sculpture was.
		The sidewalks in the fancy part of town were very well preserved mosaics.
		Off on a side street we visited the public toilets. That marble must have been cold!
	The main road, Curetes Street, wound down through the fancy part of town to the library, at the main crossroad.
		The facade of the library at Ephesus has been put back together and gives some idea of the grandeur of this city.
	Wherever we go, we take a picture of Marie standing in front of a library. This must be one of the finest in our collection!
	We figure she must have been an early librarian.
	Everywhere we went there were a lot of very friendly cats to greet us.
	Along the street from the center of town to the port, Marble Street, was this advertisement intended for illiterate sailors. It shows a girl, a book, and a left foot. The message: "For pretty girls, turn left at the library." Sure enough! That leads to the brothel.
	Where Marble Street met Harbor Street was the amphitheater. It could seat 25,000 spectators. It was the likely place for Paul to have addressed the citizens and visitors of Ephesus.

One of those heavy cloudbursts came as we reached the great theater of Ephesus, so we scrambled back to the busses. They took us on to Didyma, the site of the never completed temple of Apollo, twin to the temple of Artemis, and to Priene, an ancient city on a hillside. To see these two sites, click on their names, or use the links at the top of this page.

On return to Kusadasi we had time for some shopping, and, having turned them down twice in Istanbul, we finally found a hand-knotted silk carpet that we liked and that came down to a price we could afford. It sure dressed up the stateroom!

By the way: if you want a source for information on Greek Archeology, one of the best resources is the Perseus Project. They have lots of text and lots of pictures, and the whole thing is indexed six ways to Sunday! A very well put together web site!