When was Ephesus founded and by whom?
Ephesus was founded as an Attic-Ionian Greek colony in the 10th century BC on Ayasuluk Hill. The mythical founder was Androklos, a prince of Athens who left after the death of his father, King Kodros.
Questions about Ephesus
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What was the Temple of Artemis, and what happened to it?
The Temple of Artemis was completed around 550 BC and designated one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It measured 418 feet by 239 feet with over 100 marble pillars each 56 feet high. It was burned down in 356 BC by a man named Herostratus, rebuilt on a grander scale, and then destroyed by the Goths in 263 AD. Today only one column remains, excavated by the British Museum in the 1870s.
What was Ephesus's connection to early Christianity?
The apostle Paul lived in Ephesus from AD 52 to 54 and wrote 1 Corinthians from there. John the Apostle is said to have died in Ephesus after AD 98, and the Gospel of John may have been written there around 90-100 AD. The city hosted the Third Ecumenical Council in 431 and is one of the seven churches addressed in the Book of Revelation.
Why did Ephesus decline and eventually become abandoned?
The harbour silted up progressively due to the Kucukmenderes River, cutting off the city's trade access to the Aegean Sea. Arab raids beginning in 654-655, an earthquake in 614, the Sasanian War, and repeated conquest by various powers further eroded the city's population and prosperity. By the 15th century it was completely abandoned.
How large was the population of Ephesus at its peak?
Estimates vary considerably. Older scholarship put the Roman-era population as high as 225,000, but modern researchers consider that unrealistic given the city's geography. A 2017 model by Hanson and Ortman estimated 71,587 inhabitants across 263 inhabited hectares. Even at the lower estimates, Ephesus was one of the largest cities in Roman Asia Minor.
What are the most significant surviving structures at Ephesus today?
Key surviving structures include the Library of Celsus, whose facade was reconstructed from original pieces between 1970 and 1978; the Great Theatre with an estimated 25,000-seat capacity; the Temple of Hadrian from the 2nd century; the Odeon built around 150 AD; and the Terrace Houses, six luxury Roman residences with mosaics and frescos that date from the 1st century BC to the 7th century AD.