#Ephesus

[thatshowthingstarted]

The library of Celsius, Ephesus, Turkey 

The library of Celsius is considered one of the most beautiful surviving structures of the time of Roman Empire. The Library was built from 114-117 AD. It was capable of storing 12,000 scrolls, making it the third largest library in the ancient world, behind Alexandria and Pergamum.

It was named after Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, a Greek Roman citizen who served as a senator of the Roman Empire and was a consul in Rome in 92 AD, governing the Asian province.

His son, Gaius Julius Aquila, constructed the library as a tribute to his father, and Celsus was allowed to be burried in a sarcophagus beneath the ground floor of the building honoring him and his contributions to the political and cultural life of Ephesus, which was one of the most important cities in the Roman Empire at the time.

1000libraries Photography

[wgm-beautiful-world]

Library of Celsus in Ephesus, Anatolia, TÜRKIYE

[moonandserpent]

Artemis Statue, 2nd century AD, Ephesus Archaeological Museum

2024 © Moon and Serpent

[cjbolan]

December 2024. Day one in Turkey. The Library of Celsus! From the Ephesus Archaeological Site. Photos by me. More from Turkey here.

[Image descriptions: tourists visiting the ruins of the Library of Celsus. End description.]

[nihalsthings]

The ever so impressive Artemis of Ephesus.

Fun fact; the original statue was lost, in probably a fire around 2000 years ago. Temple of Artemis was prone to floodings, fires, and was structurally compromised, but wasn't moved because it was built on holy grounds. The original statue was most likely made of wood and did not survive a fire. After that many more statues were made, but these are considered copies. This lady here is a copy too.

Artemis of Ephesus is vastly different from the regular Artemis who is a huntress. This is because Ephesus had It's own goddess deity which was merged with Artemis in time and became a local version that was only worshipped by people of Ephesus. Her symbol is the "bee" and she is also a goddess of fertility unlike the regular Artemis.

And the boob like structures around her torso is less likely to be boobs and more likely to be symbols of fertility for the people of Ephesus: bull testicles or bee eggs. In some other statues these structures are more clearly breasts, for example "the Fountain of Diana" in Sicily.

Her crown symbolizes the city she protects. She has depictions of animals she protects and rules all over her body, along with symbols of fertility and a Zodiac wheel.

[mythologypaintings]

The Beautiful Anthia Leading her Companions into the Temple of Diana in Ephesus

Artist: Joseph Paelinck (Netherlandish, 1781-1839)

Date: c. 1820

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Museum of the Fine Arts, Ghent, Belgium

Description

In The Beautiful Anthia Joseph Paelinck depicts an episode in an ancient Greek tale. During a parade in the temple of Artemis in Ephesus the proud warrior Abrocomeus met the beautiful Anthia. Eros, the god of love, was vexed by Abrocomeus’s indifference and contrived to make him fall passionately in love with the young woman. They married, but Eros’s revenge continued to persecute them. They were kidnapped by pirates, sold as slaves, separated from one another but eventually their love and fidelity helped them overcome their trials and tribulations. The story lends itself perfectly to propagating the nineteenth-century bourgeois moral values. The painting depicts the parade with Anthia in the centre and Abrocomeus to the right in his red coat. The theme, the balanced composition and the careful rendition contribute to making this painting an excellent example of the Classic ideal of Paelinck and other followers of Jacques-Louis David.

[nyssasatelier]

do you like Greek myth in general or just epic?

I'd say in general,

My grandmother's family traveled from greece to turkey when she was just a baby so i really dont have any ties to greece at all. Not the language nor the culture. And i won't stand here and claim to be greek in any way because I'm really not. But it is what got me interested in learning about the history which in turn lead me down the rabbit hole of learning about ancient greece. (And with it parts of the mythology)

A couple years ago i took a trip to Ephesus (Efes, izmir) and in the future if given the opportunity I'd love to go see the remains of Troy next. (Truva, Hissarlik)

(The obsession with -) Epic kind of came out of nowhere (cough Jay's tiktok) and now I'm scrambling to get my hands on a translation of the Odyssee and the iliad.

When posting about Epic i don't really bother with historical accuracy because i consider it it's own thing that's undeniably modern so i just have fun with it.

[illustratus]

Temple of Diana at Ephesus by Peter Jackson

[turkeyblogblr]

Library of Celsus, Selçuk, Turkey: The Library of Celsus is an ancient Roman building in Ephesus, Anatolia, today located nearby the modern town of Selçuk, in the İzmir Province of western Turkey. Wikipedia

[davidstanleytravel]

St. Paul once preached to the Ephesians in the 2nd century AD Great Theater in Ephesus, Turkey, urging them to abandon Artemis. With a capacity for 25,000 spectators, the theater is still used occasionally for cultural events.

[sonfeciyunikorn]

Efes Antik Kenti, İzmir

[mothmiso]

Ephèse, Turquie (2) (3) (4) by Valéry Hugotte

[i-eat-mold]

fun fact there is probably nothing i love more than stray cats. if there is one i must go pet it. i would die for them. and since this is my little corner of the internet i am going to show some of the stray cats i’ve been spotting during travels and stuff. it’s getting its own tag in my blog: #cat spotting

Ephesus and Istanbul, turkey, Fez and Marrakech, Morocco, and Budapest, Hungary

[bronzeageecho]

Artemis Ephesia | c. 2nd century CE | plaster cast of the Roman original, which was a sized-down copy of the statue in the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus

"The [original] statue was made of wood and was dressed in ever-changing garments and carried through the city in processions. The goddess was adorned with jewelry, chains and animal protomes. Whether the characteristic round objects between the arms represent female breasts or bull testicles is disputed, but in any case they express the fertility of the goddess."

in the kunsthistorisches museum wien collection

[nihalsthings]

Some other artifacts from Ephesus.

What's so significant about this location is the fact that it was home to many different, great civilizations including ancient greeks, imperial romans and early christians, and it is said to be founded by Amazonians. It was first built in 10th century BC, but recent excavations stretched the timeline all the way back to 6000 BC. The intricate works made out of stone, ivory, clay, marble, copper and gold carry the fingerprints of so many different cultures. It's hard not to feel amazed by such a big piece of human history while walking around.

Tiny cups with powder are make-up containers. Just imagine the greek or roman woman who use these to have her make-up done, and go out to see the play in the great theatre nearby, which had the capacity of 20k people! Right below them are surgical tools, crafted in great detail.

Tiny egyptian priest statute is a bonus and was a lovely surprise to see here. It was naturally a low-light environment so the photos aren't excellent, but I did my best.

[ilovecatsbutitstaken]