History of Ephesus Ancient City

Prehistoric History of Ephesus

One of the highlights of our Private Ephesus Tours is of course Ephesus Ancient City. We should know that Ephesus is not just the ancient city visited today. So that during the latest excavations by Ephesus archaeologists, mounds called Cukurici and Arvalya were found in the region, and these mounds date back to 6000 BC. Then, for now, we can say that the history of Ephesus began in 6000 BC. Now, let’s leave the prehistoric periods of Ephesus aside and continue the history of Ephesus chronologically.

Period of Amazons

According to a legend, if we ignore the prehistoric period of Ephesus, it was founded by the tribe of the Amazons, great female warriors also who had a flawless ability to use bows and arrows. It is widely believed that Amazon women were priestesses of Hittite origin. So initially the name of the city of Ephesus was Apasas. Apasas was the name of an Amazon Queen and means Queen Bee in the Hittite language. This may be the reason why many of the coins unearthed during the excavations in the ancient city of Ephesus have a relief of a queen bee on one side. As you can guess, the name of today’s Ephesus is derived from the first name of the city, Apasas.

Greek History of Ephesus and Story of Androclus

Ephesus was founded for the second time around 1050 BC by Androclus, the son of the Athenian king Codrus. The city of Ephesus founded by Androclus also has a well-known mythological story; Androclus, who wants to explore the other side of the Aegean Sea and establish a new city, visits the oracle in Delphi before starting his journey. Androclus asks the oracle where he should place the city. The oracle tells Androclus to place the city where you see the fish and the wild boar. After a long journey on the Aegean Sea, Androclus and his friends manage to reach the slopes of Ayasuluk Hill, which is within the borders of today’s Selcuk (Ephesus). One day Androclus and his friends cook and eat the fish on an open fire. However, this fire they burn causes a fire in the forest. Androclus sees the wild boar among the animals fleeing the fire and thinks the prophecy has come true. Thus, the location of the second Ephesus settlement is determined.

With the Greeks’ migration to Ephesus, which started with Androclus, the city became an Ionian city. The Ionians ruled in Ephesus for about 500 years. In 560 BC, Croesus, king of Lydia, captured the city but only ruled for 16 years. Because the Persian invasion started in 546 BC. Persian domination in Ephesus continued until 334 BC. In 334 BC, the savior of the Ionians, the Macedonian king Alexander the Great, defeated the Persians in the battle of Granicus. Ephesus, which became an Ionian city again, was moved to where it is today by the order of Alexander the Great, by his commander Lysimachus in 295 B.C. The reason why the city was moved to its current location was that the previous settlement area became swampy and the port became unusable. Also, epidemic diseases such as malaria emerged.

Rise of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

The Temple of Artemis one of the seven wonders of the ancient world is located in the center of Selcuk/Ephesus. It’s only two kilometers away from Ephesus Ancient City. The site had two advantages; its geographic position as a sheltered harbor in the middle of the Aegean coast of Anatolia offered access to and from the interior, and as a place of pilgrimage for the worship of the Anatolian Mother-goddess of Fertility, Cybele. The Ionians with their own goddess, Artemis, blended some of the attributes of the two in the development of the Ephesian Artemis.

Ephesus continued to prosper as a City-State until subjugated by King Croesus of Lydia in the middle of the 6th century B.C. Although forced to recognize the sovereignty of Lydia, Croesus was regarded more as a friend than an enemy. One of his first acts was to give generously to the reconstruction of the Temple of Artemis.

To maintain control over the people, he forced them to abandon their fortified city, relocating them to level ground south of the Temple. Here the city remained throughout the classical period, unwalled and militarily weak, but still with the economically important harbor and the Sanctuary of Artemis.

Roman Period of Ephesus

Almost all of the structures you see in the Ephesus Ancient City today belong to the Ancient Roman period. The Romans settled in Ephesus without any bloodshed. So the King of Pergamon Attalos voluntarily left Ephesus to the Romans after his death (in BCE 129). Ephesus was declared the capital of Asia Minor by Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire. Ephesus reached its most glorious period during the Roman Empire. So that the population of the city reached up to 250000 people. Of course, there was a reason why Ephesus was a very significant city throughout history and was constantly attacked. The reason is actually very simple, being a harbor city and its location, which made Ephesus the trade center between east and west.

Christianity Period of Ephesus

St. Paul and St. John’s Visit to Ephesus

Ephesus was rebuilt in the Roman style. Its commercial importance was maintained by continued dredging of the seaport. In ‘keeping with its importance as a religious center, Ephesus became an early center of Christianity. Although the cult of Artemis remained strong, the Christian community became one of the most powerful in the East. St. Paul spent at least two years preaching and writing at Ephesus on his third journey. St. John also settled there. The sacking of the Artemision by the Goths in 263 A.D. was essentially the end of the power of Artemis. Although the temple was restored the worship of Artemis had given way to Christianity.

Christianity Rises in Ephesus

Continuing its importance as a religious center, Ephesus experienced a renewed building program of religious buildings, especially the church of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus and of the Basilica of St. John at Ephesus, during the Byzantine era. In 431 the 3rd Ecumenical Council met in the Church of the Virgin Mary to condemn the Nestorian heresy. A second Council of Ephesus followed in 449.

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Fall of Ephesus

Silting of the harbor again plagued Ephesus. By the 7th century, most of the residents began moving to Aysoluk Hill near the magnificent church of St. John built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian. Walls and a citadel were built as protection against Slav and Arab invasions. In 1090 the settlement was occupied by Seljuks but restored to Byzantium a few years later during the first Crusade.

By this time the name Ephesus referred only to the city of the plains while the Byzantine settlement clustered around the Church of St. John was known as Hagios Theologos. Falling to the Turks in 1304 the settlement became known as Aysoluk and a new era begins in the history of Ephesus. By 1390 Aysoluk had fallen into the hands of the Ottoman Empire, with the growth and development of the Izmir Port (Smyrna), Aysoluk, later renamed Selcuk, was reduced to the status of a small village.

Documentary Tour 4k: History of Ephesus

Video Guide: Best of Ephesus Tours from Kusadasi, Izmir, and Istanbul

Frequently Asked Question

The history of Ephesus is much more detailed and long. We haven’t invented the time machine yet, but we can take you back 2000 years by joining our Private Ephesus Tours.

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