Coming from a country that's only a few hundred years and learning about Colorado history that only stretches back a few centuries, it's hard to imagine something eight thousand years old, or 6,000 B.C. And grasp my mind around the idea that historical figures such as the Apostle Paul used to walk the same streets.
Ephesus used to be the capital of Asia back in the day. It was built and rebuilt and added on to and became one of the largest cities of it's time with a population of 200,000 before it's fall (sometime around 300 A.D.)
The ruins that we visited have a main street that extends the length of the town and is just over two miles long. The city is complete with marble roads, an underground sewage system, fountains, a library and two stadiums-one of which holds 24,000. Wow!
The most shocking thing for me was seeing the architecture and layout of this ancient Roman city and comparing it to what the American Indians were building two hundred years ago. What a stark contrast! And how interesting it is to see what kind of building structures each culture made to suit their specific needs, completely unaware of the other culture. I've gotta give it to the Romans though, sorry Native Americans...you were a close second!
I am partially convinced the ancient Romans got around to inventing machines long before our society did-archeologists are just keeping it a secret from us. How else could someone 8,000 years ago make columns so round, carve intricate decorations and statues from marble and build a stadium the size of a modern opera house? Just saying, food for thought!
Ephesus used to be the capital of Asia back in the day. It was built and rebuilt and added on to and became one of the largest cities of it's time with a population of 200,000 before it's fall (sometime around 300 A.D.)
The ruins that we visited have a main street that extends the length of the town and is just over two miles long. The city is complete with marble roads, an underground sewage system, fountains, a library and two stadiums-one of which holds 24,000. Wow!
The most shocking thing for me was seeing the architecture and layout of this ancient Roman city and comparing it to what the American Indians were building two hundred years ago. What a stark contrast! And how interesting it is to see what kind of building structures each culture made to suit their specific needs, completely unaware of the other culture. I've gotta give it to the Romans though, sorry Native Americans...you were a close second!
I am partially convinced the ancient Romans got around to inventing machines long before our society did-archeologists are just keeping it a secret from us. How else could someone 8,000 years ago make columns so round, carve intricate decorations and statues from marble and build a stadium the size of a modern opera house? Just saying, food for thought!
An archway in Ephesus
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