Owl Masthead

Shakespeare in Ephesus

Library of Celsus
The ornate facade of the Library of Celsus in Ephesus.
Photo courtesy of www.istockphoto.com.

The Owl
Vol. 2, Issue 21
May 29, 2008
Baltimore, Maryland

Dear Inquiring Traveler,

Last week, we saw that the ancient city of Ephesus could meet the intellectual as well as the more mundane needs of its citizens with its library, brothel, and marble public latrines.

Today we head towards the theater. One more ancient theater, you think… Yes, but this one is so beautiful and imposing—it could sit over 24,000 people—that it is worth a Shakespearean visit.

Regards,

Catherine's signature
Editor, The Owl

________________________________________

Temple of Artemis
This lonely column is all that remains of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus,
one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Along the Marble Road (Part 2)

by Elise Warner

From the Library of Celsus, citizens and visitors walked along the Marble Road to the Great Theater, the largest of its kind in Asia Minor and of vital importance to the city. First built during the Hellenistic period and enlarged during the rule of the Emperor Claudius in 41-42 AD, the theater seats 24,000. The bustling three-story structure, with a façade enlivened with columns, relieves, statues and niches, is located on the red and brown slope of Panayir Hill.

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Large bronze or clay vessels placed at different points around the theater improved the sound—no mikes in those days. I decide to test the acoustics, look around the strikingly designed structure and belt out a few notes from Rodgers’ and Hart’s musical, The Boys from Syracuse, adapted from Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors—and set in Ephesus. Dropped pins, coins, and other recitations echo around. The acoustics are excellent.

Rioting to Maintain Business

A box made of marble was reserved for the emperor, and seats with backs, also made of marble, were reserved for persons of merit who enjoyed the concerts and plays, religious, political, and philosophical discussions held here. In ancient times the spectators had a stunning view of the Aegean Sea, but the harbor gradually silted up and is today six miles from the water.

A protective high wall around the orchestra attests to gladiatorial contests and mortal combat with exotic beasts. Until the adoption of Christianity as the state religion, the Greeks worshipped Artemis, goddess of chastity, the moon, and fertility and protector of the wild and innocent. As many as a million people attended festivities held in her honor at the theater during the month of April. The celebrations attracted travelers from as far as Athens and Jerusalem. St. Paul preached here and the raucous demonstration (some call it a riot) it produced, led by Demetrius the silversmith against his teachings, is well documented. If Christianity made an impact on the cult of the goddess, the silversmith felt, the trade in devotional statues of Artemis would suffer.

A Lost Wonder

A Little Bit of History

Throughout its history, Ephesus has been governed by many powerful nations. From Croesus, “The Golden Monarch of Lydia”, the city fell into the hands of the Persians who were themselves defeated by Alexander the Great in 334 B.C. Under the Romans, the city became capital of the Province of Asia and remained a thriving commercial center.

Crushed by the Goths in AD 262, Ephesus faded. Malaria decimated the population, trade declined, and the city became uninhabitable. Despite a renaissance in the 14th century, Ephesus was forgotten until excavations began in 1863—and thankfully, for those of us who like to time travel, they continue today. Temples, artifacts, public buildings, sculptures and portraits have been uncovered and offer a vivid picture of an ancient world. The 21st century knows Ephesus, a UNESCO World Heritage listed site, as one of the world’s grandest archeological locales.

Upon leaving Ephesus, take a stroll along the road that leads to the modern town of Selçuk. Just before Selçuk, about a mile from ancient Ephesus, lie the remains of one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world: the gigantic temple of Artemis. Supported by a grove of 127 columns, measuring 180 feet by 377 feet, it was the largest structure of its time.

In perhaps one of the earliest examples of a desperate act to gain fame, a madman called Herostratus set the temple ablaze in 356 B.C (hence the expression “herostratic fame”). Legend has it that the temple burned on the very day Alexander the Great was born and that the goddess Artemis was too busy helping with the delivery to save her own sanctuary. The temple was rebuilt just as magnificently. But you can’t see it now. After centuries of neglect, it was stripped of its decoration and abandoned.

All that remains today is a few pieces of marble and a single column rebuilt to give an idea of the size of the ancient structure. I don’t know if the battered column renders the magnificence of the temple that once stood there. But it certainly is of use to the stork that builds its huge nest on top of it. And from there one has a good view of the many turtles that live in the marshy remnants of the sanctuary—in honor, maybe, of John Turtle Wood, the archaeologist who overcame disease, broken limbs, and a murder attempt in his efforts to unearth the temple 150 years ago.

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