Ephesus: Historical-Cultural Background
Situated on the west coast of Asia Minor, Ephesus was the capital of the Roman province of Asia and one of the most influential cities on the main trade route from Rome to the East. (Metzger, 207). The city stood upon the sloping sides and at the base of two hills, Prion and Coressus, commanding a beautiful view; its climate was exceptionally fine, and the soil of the valley was unusually fertile (Banks). Ephesus lay at the mouth of the Cayster River and opposite the island of Samos, an artificial harbor accessible to the largest ships, and rivaling the harbor at Miletus, standing at the entrance of the valley which reaches far into the interior of Asia Minor, and connected by highways with the chief cities of the province, Ephesus was the most easily accessible city in Asia, both by land and sea (Banks).
Ephesus was under Greek rule until 133 when it was bequeathed to the Romans by Attalus III of Pergamum. (Evans, 319). Bruce adds to this by saying “It was the seat of administration to the …show more content…
Not only was the temple of Diana a place of worship, and a treasure-house, but it was also a museum in which the best statuary and most beautiful paintings were preserved (Orr). In 1863 Mr. J. T. Wood, for the British Museum, obtained permission from the Turkish government to search for the site of the lost temple of Diana (Orr). Almost by accident, Mr. Wood was able to find it. The building itself was 425 ft. long and 220 ft. wide; each of its 127 pillars, which supported the roof of its colonnade, was 60 ft. high; like the temples of Greece, its interior was open to the sky (Orr). Smith states, “Conspicuous at the head of the harbor of Ephesus was the great temple of Diana or Artemis, the tutelary divinity of the city.” In other words, it was the first things that seafarers saw when they entered the
Situated on the west coast of Asia Minor, Ephesus was the capital of the Roman province of Asia and one of the most influential cities on the main trade route from Rome to the East. (Metzger, 207). The city stood upon the sloping sides and at the base of two hills, Prion and Coressus, commanding a beautiful view; its climate was exceptionally fine, and the soil of the valley was unusually fertile (Banks). Ephesus lay at the mouth of the Cayster River and opposite the island of Samos, an artificial harbor accessible to the largest ships, and rivaling the harbor at Miletus, standing at the entrance of the valley which reaches far into the interior of Asia Minor, and connected by highways with the chief cities of the province, Ephesus was the most easily accessible city in Asia, both by land and sea (Banks).
Ephesus was under Greek rule until 133 when it was bequeathed to the Romans by Attalus III of Pergamum. (Evans, 319). Bruce adds to this by saying “It was the seat of administration to the …show more content…
Not only was the temple of Diana a place of worship, and a treasure-house, but it was also a museum in which the best statuary and most beautiful paintings were preserved (Orr). In 1863 Mr. J. T. Wood, for the British Museum, obtained permission from the Turkish government to search for the site of the lost temple of Diana (Orr). Almost by accident, Mr. Wood was able to find it. The building itself was 425 ft. long and 220 ft. wide; each of its 127 pillars, which supported the roof of its colonnade, was 60 ft. high; like the temples of Greece, its interior was open to the sky (Orr). Smith states, “Conspicuous at the head of the harbor of Ephesus was the great temple of Diana or Artemis, the tutelary divinity of the city.” In other words, it was the first things that seafarers saw when they entered the