Title: The Arcadian Street of Ephesus

View Description: View of the Arcadian Street

Larger Entity Name: Ephesus

Culture: Roman; Byzantine; Greek

Period: Roman Republic; Roman Empire

Century: 4 CE

Country: Turkey

Current Site: Ephesus, TUR

Creation Site: Ephesus, TUR

Original Site: Ephesus, TUR

Discovery Site: Ephesus, TUR

Notes:

  • [Creation Notes] This street extending from the baths to the Theatre is called the Arcadian Street. Originally built in the late Hellenistic Period, the street was restored during the reign of the Emperor Arcadius (395-408 AD.), from whom it takes its present name. There were galleries and shops all along either side of the street, which is 530 metres long and 11 metres wide. In the centre section is a structure containing four high columns, an element of decoration which was constructed in the 6th century AD. Along either side were gates in the form of monumental arches. Since this street extended to the harbour, it was also referred to as “Harbour Street”.
  • [Provenance Notes] Most of what remains in Ephesus today is a result of when it was the capital of the Roman province of Asia. At that time it was known as the ‘first and foremost Metropolis in Asia’ and the center for Greco-Roman life in the eastern portion of the Roman Empire. It served as a major trade and religious center in the Aegean Sea because of the excellent harbor and Temple of Artemis it possessed. Built at the base of Mount Pion it had to change its location several times moving progressively more to the west due to the silting up of its harbor and the shifting coast line. Ephesus is important to Christianty because it is considered the death place of the Virgin Mary and it is also known as one of the seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelations. By 392 CE Ephesus’s importance as a trade and religious center was fading. During its height it is said to have had a population of over 250,000 individuals.
  • [Description Notes] Ephesus contains one of the most abundant and best preserved archeological sites of Greco-Roman architecture in Turkey. One of the seven wonders of the ancient world was at Ephesus, namely the Temple of Artemis. Some of its most beautiful sites include the Great Theater, the Arcadian Way, St Mary’s Church, St John’s Church, the famous Library of Celsus, and the Harbour Baths and Gymnasium, not to mention several fountains and temples.

Category: Architecture

Work Type: Street