Turkish Adventure By Jim Buie

Three kinds of Roman Columns

Corinthian

Ionic

Doric

Climate Change Killed Ephesus, Once Second Largest City in Roman Empire

The town of Ephesus has some of the best preserved ruins of the Roman Empire. Once part of ancient Greece, Ephesus is now part of Turkey, near the Mediterranean Sea. Today it is hard to imagine that it once had a population of 250,000, and was the second largest city in the Roman Empire, after Rome. The city essentially died after a series of earthquakes, overgrazing, deforestation, and after its harbor silted up from the Cayster River. Talk about climate change. What remains of the town is now miles from the sea. I wonder if something similar could happen to NYC, LA or other port cities?

Interesting blog post on Epheses as Metaphor: how we today are like the Ephesian town councilmen.

Our slideshow of Ephesus and the Basilica of St. John. It was in Ephesus where the Apostle John preached and wrote his Gospel.

Closer Looks at Ephesus

Drive Through History

All About Turkey: Ephesus/

Russ Wilcox of Cambridge, MA. sold his company E-Ink and is traveling around the world with his family, which includes a fourth-grader and a seventh grader. They're keeping an interesting blog, 365 Saturdays. He offers insights into Ephesus, its early history and three relocations.

An American acquaintance recalled her visit to Ephesus. As she got closer and closer to the town, she could feel herself getting angrier and angrier, but didn't understand what that was about. Finally, she realized it was anger at the destruction of the Temple of Artemus (aka Diana and Cybele), which to her symbolized the suppression of the feminine spirit in Western religion, in particular Christianity. The goddess Artemus was considered a healer of diseases, a "giver of light to mortals," she said, and wondered why such a spirit could not have been incorporated into Christianity. (Of course one could argue that through the incorporation of saints in both the Catholic and Orthodox traditions, goddesses have been brought into Christianity.)  She went on to speak of what a chauvinist the Apostle Paul was.  

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Touching the Ancient Past: the Wonders of Ephesus and Cappadocia

Turkey gives you a personal encounter with history.