According to Strabon and Pausanias, famous writ-
ers of the Early Ages, Ephesus was first founded by
the Amazons on territories largely populated by
Carian and Lelegean tribes in ancient times and was
therefore named after an Amazonian queen.
Among the native population in inhabiting the
West Anatolian coastal regions in the 104()s BC.
there was no unity, including the language a factor
which lead Ephesus to become a Greek colony in a
process completed in the 10. century BC.
The story on the foundation of Ephesus is
accounted as follows by some writers of the Early
Ages: Androclos son of Kodros (the King of
Athens) and his companions who were about
migrates to Anatolia before setting out consulted the
Oracle of Delphoi where to built the new city. The
Oracle gave an answer them "the location of the
new city would be indicated by a fish and a boar"
After along journey they reached the banks of
the river Kaistcos(todays Kii€iik Menderes). Here as they were cooking the fishes they caught from the
a fish were frying jumped off the pan,
scattering flames that set the dry bushes on fire.
A boar ran out of the burning bushes and Androclos
stalled to chase the boar, caught it and killed it.
Convinced that the prediction of the Oracle had
come true, Androclos and his companions
established their new city at the skirts of
Mt.Coressos (today's Panayrr Daél) in that location.
The family of Androclos and the Ionians lived for
44 years in the city they have built.
Ephesus, after having survived an attack of the
Cimmerians in the 7th century BC, recovered some
time later and its fame for science, technics and
wealth spread actively over the cities in the
surounding area mostly because of the famous
Temple of Altemis, one of the Seven wonders in the
world. As from the mid 6th century BC. Ephesus
succumbs to the onslaughts of the Lydians and later
of the Persians. Upon the death of Persian King
Chiros in the 5th century BC. the dissatisfied
peoples of the Ionian cities revolted against the
Persian rule in what is known in history as the famous "Ionian Uprising". Key role in the uprising was
assumed by Ephesus. The uprising ended in the year
494 BC. with the defeat of Ionian army.
During the 3rd century BC. Alexander the Great
rules in Europe and Greece. Alexander the Great set
out to drive the Persians out of Asia Minor and
establish unity, fought together with the Ionians the
famous "Horseman's Battle" that changed the
history of the Early Ages. When he entered Ephesus
in the year 334 BC. he met with no resistance in the
town evacuated by the fleeing Persians. He put an end
to the oligarchy and declared the establishment of
people's sovereignty.
This period is known as the Golden Age in the
history of Ephesus. This city with a population of
300.000 wielded the power and wealth of the near
east sustained the divine influence of the Temple of
Artemis. After the death of Alexander the Great,
Ephesus was ruled for a while by Lysimachos, one
of his Generals. His rule marks the construction
epoch of Ephesus The city walls constructed by
Lysimachos have come to this day. In the year 130
BC. the territory of Asia Minor (Anatolia) and
consequently Ephesus were annexed to the Roman
Empire. Under the reign of Augustus, the most
brilliant period of the Roman Empire, Ephesus was declared the capital of the province instead of
Pergamon becoming the first and largest metropolis
of the Asian Province. This way Ephesus were
annexed its power as a trading centre and its popula-
tion rose over the 200.000 level. Most of the remains
we see today in Ephesus belong to the epoch of
Emperor Augustus.
An assault of the Goths in the year 262 AD. levels
Ephesus down with the ground. The Great Temple of
Artemis was plundered. After this assault Ephesus
never regained its power and splendor.
The early centuries AD.witness the emergence of
a new religion, Christianity. The apostles St.Paul
and St.John strove to spread this new religion in
Anatolia. Christianity which rapidly gained
popularity in Ephesus, replaced the traditional
goddess Artemis in this new age with the Virgin
Mary to whose name the first church in history was
established in this land. In the 4th century AD. the
seaport of Ephesus became filled beyond use and its
population started abandoning it. With that time, all
the population of Ephesus gathered around the
Ayasuluk Hill where the Church of St.John is
located. The city diminished in size with the
population growing less and less. Starting with the
early periods of Ottoman rule Ephesus lost its
importance and became totally deserted.
The ruins open for visit today are the leftovers of
the city development and construction that date back
to the period of Lysimachos-one of the generals of
Alexander the Great. The city which sank into
complete oblivion with the course of time, came into
focus when the Ayasuluk station was built during the
construction of the Istanbul-Baghdad railroad. The
first excavations were started by a British engineer
John T.Wood. He came to the area in unrelenting
searh for the Temple of Artemis mentioned in old
works and finally found the location of temple.
Yet for various reasons he could not complete the
unearthing of the temple which had to be carried on
by D.G. Hogarth in 1904. The Austrian
Archaeological Institute obtained permission from
the Ottoman Sultan to do excavations in the area
which were started in 1895 by Otto Bendorf and
later carried on by Keil, Miltner, Eichler and Prof.
Wetters.
ers of the Early Ages, Ephesus was first founded by
the Amazons on territories largely populated by
Carian and Lelegean tribes in ancient times and was
therefore named after an Amazonian queen.
Among the native population in inhabiting the
West Anatolian coastal regions in the 104()s BC.
there was no unity, including the language a factor
which lead Ephesus to become a Greek colony in a
process completed in the 10. century BC.
The story on the foundation of Ephesus is
accounted as follows by some writers of the Early
Ages: Androclos son of Kodros (the King of
Athens) and his companions who were about
migrates to Anatolia before setting out consulted the
Oracle of Delphoi where to built the new city. The
Oracle gave an answer them "the location of the
new city would be indicated by a fish and a boar"
After along journey they reached the banks of
the river Kaistcos(todays Kii€iik Menderes). Here as they were cooking the fishes they caught from the
a fish were frying jumped off the pan,
scattering flames that set the dry bushes on fire.
A boar ran out of the burning bushes and Androclos
stalled to chase the boar, caught it and killed it.
Convinced that the prediction of the Oracle had
come true, Androclos and his companions
established their new city at the skirts of
Mt.Coressos (today's Panayrr Daél) in that location.
The family of Androclos and the Ionians lived for
44 years in the city they have built.
Ephesus, after having survived an attack of the
Cimmerians in the 7th century BC, recovered some
time later and its fame for science, technics and
wealth spread actively over the cities in the
surounding area mostly because of the famous
Temple of Altemis, one of the Seven wonders in the
world. As from the mid 6th century BC. Ephesus
succumbs to the onslaughts of the Lydians and later
of the Persians. Upon the death of Persian King
Chiros in the 5th century BC. the dissatisfied
peoples of the Ionian cities revolted against the
Persian rule in what is known in history as the famous "Ionian Uprising". Key role in the uprising was
assumed by Ephesus. The uprising ended in the year
494 BC. with the defeat of Ionian army.
During the 3rd century BC. Alexander the Great
rules in Europe and Greece. Alexander the Great set
out to drive the Persians out of Asia Minor and
establish unity, fought together with the Ionians the
famous "Horseman's Battle" that changed the
history of the Early Ages. When he entered Ephesus
in the year 334 BC. he met with no resistance in the
town evacuated by the fleeing Persians. He put an end
to the oligarchy and declared the establishment of
people's sovereignty.
This period is known as the Golden Age in the
history of Ephesus. This city with a population of
300.000 wielded the power and wealth of the near
east sustained the divine influence of the Temple of
Artemis. After the death of Alexander the Great,
Ephesus was ruled for a while by Lysimachos, one
of his Generals. His rule marks the construction
epoch of Ephesus The city walls constructed by
Lysimachos have come to this day. In the year 130
BC. the territory of Asia Minor (Anatolia) and
consequently Ephesus were annexed to the Roman
Empire. Under the reign of Augustus, the most
brilliant period of the Roman Empire, Ephesus was declared the capital of the province instead of
Pergamon becoming the first and largest metropolis
of the Asian Province. This way Ephesus were
annexed its power as a trading centre and its popula-
tion rose over the 200.000 level. Most of the remains
we see today in Ephesus belong to the epoch of
Emperor Augustus.
Ephesus down with the ground. The Great Temple of
Artemis was plundered. After this assault Ephesus
never regained its power and splendor.
The early centuries AD.witness the emergence of
a new religion, Christianity. The apostles St.Paul
and St.John strove to spread this new religion in
Anatolia. Christianity which rapidly gained
popularity in Ephesus, replaced the traditional
goddess Artemis in this new age with the Virgin
Mary to whose name the first church in history was
established in this land. In the 4th century AD. the
seaport of Ephesus became filled beyond use and its
population started abandoning it. With that time, all
the population of Ephesus gathered around the
Ayasuluk Hill where the Church of St.John is
located. The city diminished in size with the
population growing less and less. Starting with the
early periods of Ottoman rule Ephesus lost its
importance and became totally deserted.
The ruins open for visit today are the leftovers of
the city development and construction that date back
to the period of Lysimachos-one of the generals of
Alexander the Great. The city which sank into
complete oblivion with the course of time, came into
focus when the Ayasuluk station was built during the
construction of the Istanbul-Baghdad railroad. The
first excavations were started by a British engineer
John T.Wood. He came to the area in unrelenting
searh for the Temple of Artemis mentioned in old
works and finally found the location of temple.
Yet for various reasons he could not complete the
unearthing of the temple which had to be carried on
by D.G. Hogarth in 1904. The Austrian
Archaeological Institute obtained permission from
the Ottoman Sultan to do excavations in the area
which were started in 1895 by Otto Bendorf and
later carried on by Keil, Miltner, Eichler and Prof.
Wetters.
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