Ephesus Archaeological Museum
- the battle scene
A visit to Ephesus Archaeological Museum in Selçuk is the perfect complement to the tour of the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus. This small but fascinating institution has in its collections a number of exhibits from the area of the ancient city, the Temple of Artemis, the Basilica of St. John, and the fortress on Ayasuluk Hill. Moreover, other archaeological sites situated nearby are represented, including the finds from the Belevi Mausoleum and Çukuriçi Mound where the oldest artefact in the museum’s collections was found – a stamp dating back to 6200 BCE.
Unfortunately, the museum collections are not complete, as many interesting objects from Ephesus were sent abroad. The findings excavated between 1867 and 1905 were taken to the British Museum, and those from the period of 1905-1923 to Austria where they are now exhibited in the Ephesos Museum in Vienna. When the Turkish law forbade taking the archaeological findings out of the country, a depot was built in Selçuk in 1929 to protect the excavated material from Ephesus and other nearby sites.
In time, the need arose for a larger venue to be constructed, and in 1964 the first section of the Ephesus Museum was opened to the public. It functioned in the southern section of the building that is still standing today. The exhibits, which until that time had been gathered in the warehouse at the excavation site, were put on display in this new venue. With the passage of time, it turned out that the museum premises were too small for its purposes, so, in 1976, the facility was expanded with the northern section. In 2012, a thorough renovation of the museum began. It was completed in December 2014 when the museum reopened. The museum collections have remained mostly the same, but the building has been modernized.
The items exhibited in the museum come from different periods of history and prehistory, including the Mycenaean, Geometric, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman times. The objects are not shown chronologically but grouped geographically in dedicated exhibition halls and the garden of the museum. There are nine main rooms of the archaeological section, devoted to the finds from the nymphaeums of Ephesus, the terrace houses of this city, ancient coins, the presentation of Ephesus through the ages, stone artefacts (in the garden), the cult of Kybele, the finds from the Artemision, the statues of Artemis Ephesia, and the Imperial Cult.
Hall of the Fountain Findings
In this room, there are exhibits found near the monumental fountains of Ephesus. The major parts of this exhibition are related to the Pollio Monument, the Fountain of Domitian, the Trajan’s Nymphaeum, and the Fountain of Laecanius Bassus.
The Pollio Monument
The Pollio Monument was erected adjacent to the State Agora of the city, in honour of Gaius Sextilius Polio who had made generous donations to Ephesus, including an aqueduct and a basilica. The most prominent sculpture from this location is the resting warrior from the late 1st century CE. It is a statue of a young man, depicted in a half-lying position. His left arm is leaning against a rock, and it once had supported a shield. The left leg is bent while the right leg is extended forward. The man has a calm expression of his face, and his wavy hair is secured with a band.
The Fountain of Domitian
The Fountain of Domitian, built in 92/93 CE according to the inscription, stood to the south of the Pollio Monument. It was richly decorated with the statues brought from other monuments of Ephesus. Some of these statues are thought to be taken from the so-called Isis Temple on the State Agora, probably after an earthquake, to repair the fountain.
The most impressive decoration from the Fountain of Domitian is the so-called Polyphemus Group, standing in a semicircular niche. In Greek mythology, Polyphemus was the one-eyed giant son of Poseidon and the nymph called Thoosa. He was one of the Cyclopes described in Homer’s Odyssey, and his name means “abounding in songs and legends”. In Homer’s epic, the Greek hero of the Trojan War, Odysseus, landed on the island of the Cyclopes during his journey home. Together with some of his men, he entered a cave filled with provisions. The cave belonged to Polyphemus who soon returned home with his flocks. The giant blocked the entrance to the cave with a great stone and ate two of the men.
Next morning, the giant ate two more of the sailors and left the cave to graze his sheep. After the giant returned in the evening and devoured two more of the men, Odysseus offered Polyphemus some strong, undiluted wine. The drunk giant asked Odysseus his name, promising him a guest-gift if he answered. Odysseus cleverly told him that his name was Nobody and Polyphemus promised to eat him last of all. With that, he fell into a drunken sleep. In the meantime, Odysseus prepared a wooden stake and then drove it into Polyphemus’ only eye. When the giant called for help from his fellows, saying that “Nobody” had hurt him, they thought Polyphemus was being afflicted by divine power and recommend prayer as the answer. In the morning, the blind Cyclops let the sheep out to graze, touching their backs to ensure that the prisoners were not escaping. However, Odysseus and his men had tied themselves to the undersides of the animals and thus got away. Sailing off, Odysseus boastfully revealed his real name, an act of hubris that was to cause many problems for him later because Polyphemus prayed to his father, Poseidon, for revenge.
The statues from the Fountain of Domitian demonstrate the moment from the Polyphemus’ story. They show Odysseus trying to make Polyphemus drunk and handing him the bowl of wine. In the same time, his companions carry the sharpened pole that will be used to blind the Cyclops. On the ground, there are two bodies of the killed comrades of Odysseus. There are also parts of a torn body on the Polyphemus’ leg.
Among other statues from the Fountain of Domitian, displayed in the museum, there are two river gods called Mamas and Klaseas, originally placed in the northern and southern aedicules of the nymphaeum. The head of Zeus, also from this monument, belonged to the statue that stood in the central aedicula on the western side of the structure.
The Trajan’s Nymphaeum
In the same room, there the statues once adorning the nymphaeum made at the behest of Emperor Trajan. During the archaeological excavations of the nymphaeum, the researchers found the statue of Aphrodite, two statues of Dionysus, one naked and one clothed. The statue of a young hunter symbolizes the legendary founder of Ephesus, Androklos. Other statues include the ones of Emperor Nerva, some members of the imperial family, and one satyr in a reclining position. The statue of the goddess of beauty Aphrodite stands nearby. This collection is completed with the explanation of the water supply system of Ephesus.
The Fountain of Laecanius Bassus
Gaius Laecanius Bassus Caecina Paetus was a consular governor of Roman Asia in 80/81 CE. As a wealthy, provincial official, he is credited with financing the transformation of the architectural landscape of Ephesus. He ordered the construction of the massive water feature at the southern end of Domitian Street. Because of the enormous size of the fountain, it is often referred to as the Water Palace, i.e. the Hydrekdocheion.
This nymphaeum had a rectangular pool framed by an ornate two-storied façade on three sides. It was adorned with many statues — including the sea god Triton, sea creatures, river gods, and the Muses. Some of them used to serve as the water outlets, pouring water into the basin. The interplay of vibrant and colourful architecture, sculptural decoration with flowing water, and the dynamic element of water all resulted in making the fountain an attractive highlight of the city. Many decorative items of the fountain are now displayed in the museum.
Hall of the Terrace Houses Findings
The second room houses the finds from the Terrace Houses of Ephesus. Most of the exhibits in this hall are from the period from the first to the third centuries CE. The gallery also presents the history of the Terrace Houses in the form of a timeline and the description of the daily life in the Terrace Houses. This aspect is illustrated by the collections of small everyday objects, such as spoons, medical instruments, and scales.
These houses are the most outstanding examples of so-called peristyle dwellings. At the heart of such houses, there is a courtyard open to the sky, that provided light and fresh air to the inhabitants. It was surrounded with the colonnades, with other rooms behind. These houses had two or three stories, with living quarters, dining rooms, kitchens, and baths. The building materials were carefully selected to keep the houses warm in winter and cool in summer. There was even cold and hot running water delivered to the houses. These luxurious residences were paved with marble slabs while their walls were covered with frescoes depicting the scenes for the mythology and the theatre plays.
When the archaeological work began in these luxury residential villas, located on the northern slope of Koressos Hill, the frescoes and mosaics found there were transferred to the museum. However, later the researchers concluded that the best method of their preservation is to leave them in their original locations. Nowadays, the Hall of the Terrace Houses Findings presents smaller objects found in this area, but in order to see the mosaics and frescoes, it is necessary to visit Ephesus. The exhibits in the museum include bronze objects, marble figurines, and statues.
The imperial families of Rome are represented by Emperor Tiberius and his mother, Livia. She is portrayed with soft facial features, and her eyes gaze up to the viewer. It indicates the original setting of the bust in a low niche. This bust of Livia is one of the only four surviving portraits of Livia from Turkey: two from Ephesus and two from Aphrodisias. The second portrait of Livia from Ephesus, a part of a larger-than-life statue, is displayed in the Hall of the Imperial Cult of the same museum.
The head of Socrates from the 4th century CE is also here as well as the statues of Zeus, Asclepius, and Hygieia. Interestingly, in this section, there is a statue of Artemis the Huntress, the typical representation of this goddess. It is worthwhile to remember this statue and compare it later with the statues of Artemis Ephesia, displayed in a separate section of the museum.
The bust of Marcus Aurelius, made of fine marble in the 2nd century CE, is an example of fine craftsmanship. The philosopher-emperor has a wrinkled forehead as if he was deep in thought. The statue is dressed in the paludamentum. This characteristic cloak, fastened at one shoulder, was traditionally worn by military commanders. As supreme commanders of the whole Roman army, Roman emperors were often portrayed wearing it in their statues. So strongly was this cloak connected with the imperial status that after the reign of Augustus, the paludamentum was restricted to the Emperor.
There is also a bust of Menander, a Greek dramatist and the best-known representative of Athenian New Comedy. This prolific writer composed 108 comedies but unfortunately only one of them, Dyskolos (Old Cantankerous), has survived almost entirely. Probably the best-known quotation of Menander was made by Julius Caesar when he crossed the Rubicon. According to Plutarch, the phrase used by Julius Caesar at the crossing was a quote in Greek from Menander’s play “Arrhephoros”: “He declared in Greek with a loud voice to those who were present ‘Let the die be cast’ and led the army across.”
Among the smaller finds, it is worth to take a closer look at the terracotta objects such as a relief depicting a mounted hero, the statuette of a family group, or a lamp in the shape of a foot. There are also ancient toys, for instance a wheeled rooster figurine. The figurine of Priapus is marked by its oversized, permanent erection. In Greek mythology, this peculiar deity was a minor rustic fertility god, protector of livestock, fruit plants, gardens, and male genitalia. Other ancient gods represented by the figurines found at the Terrace Houses include Dionysus, Nemesis, Hygieia, and Asclepius.
A highlight of this section is a small marble statuette of Artemis, in Archaic style, but made in the 2nd century CE. Artemis’ companion, Eros, is also here, in the form of a small bronze statuette from the 2nd century BCE that shows him riding a dolphin.
Other impressive objects are the bronze head of a philosopher from the 3rd century CE, and the statue of an Egyptian priest from the 6th century BCE, also made of bronze. Another precious bronze object is the vessel called oinochoe, from around 470 BCE. Oinochoe is a wine jug typical for ancient Greek pottery. Most Greek oenochoe were in painted terracotta pottery. Still, metal oenochoai were also common at the wealthier homes, and this is the case for the oinochoe from the Terrace Houses in Ephesus.
It is worth paying attention to an impressive and intricate ivory frieze from the early 2nd century CE. It was found in a burnt layer of Terrace House 2. It may have been part of some furniture or it belonged to a lintel. The frieze is 120 centimetres long. Its three panels show Emperor Trajan and the Roman army in the victorious campaign against the Dacians or the Parthians.
Hall of Ancient Coins
The exhibits gathered in this hall consist of several thematic collections. The first of these are the coins found in Ephesus, displayed in chronological order. They are accompanied by a description explaining the process of minting coins in the ancient period. There are also several hoards of coins on display, including the Yeniköy Hoard from the 5th century BCE and much later Ayasuluk Hoard from the 15th century CE.
Text and (most) Photos Source: Izabela Sobota-Miszczak
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