F
rom the place where this picture was taken, supposedly the fourth largest hospital of the ancient world, you see the view as on this picture. Although the crane on the left at the background spoils the view, in the near plan on the left, is the square of Domitian; Memmius Monument in the middle; Hercules (Heracles) Gate alittle further, and the Library of Ephesus (Celsus Library) to the right of the yellow crane.T
he Curetes Street, more or less, starts from this area and goes all the way to the library. This street was decorated with the statues of important people who helped the city to get properious. Behind the statues are the marble columns in different colo(u)rs which show the richness of the marble in this area. (It is same way today as well.) And, behind these columns are the shops lined up side-by-side waiting for the excavations. Just after the Hercules Gate, there is one remaining of an original statue of a man on the right side of the road. According to the inscription on the base of this statue, it was made for a man called "Dr. Alexandros". According to a legend, he was the one who put an end to the malaria in this city.I
n the 3rd century A.D., part of the the harbo(u)r turned into marshy area, he noticed some insects flying in the area when, at the same, about one third of the population was killed because of a disease. So, apparently, he found out that those mosquitoes (anofels) were passing the bacteria onto the people causing them to die of malaria. He went ahead and dried the swampy area around the harbo(u)r but to what extend he was successful is unknown !
T
his picture on the right shows one of the rare days of the city in snow. This time the picture was taken from a lower level than from the top of the hospital (at the Hercules Gate), looking to the same direction as the one above. On this one, you can barely see the statue I was talking about above, just in front of the marble columns on the right.On this road: a little ahead, on the right, is an excellent intact piece of an architrave which sat on the capitals of the columns, especially at the closed porticoes. Just next door to this one (according to a re-constructed picture displayed in the museum in Selçuk) is the monumental Fountain of Emperor Trajan. After this fountain is the Scholastician Roman Bath; just accros from this Roman bath is a large complex which is thought to have been one of the first either 4 or 5 storey high apartment buldings of the world. (Roman, Rich, Slope or Terrace Houses.) You should NOT miss the mosaic decoration in front of this complex.
A
ccording to some of the mythological stories, these creatures were half gods and half human, but guardians of the baby gods and goddesses they were worshipping to. So, since they were highly respected by the local people, they gave their name to this street. If you start from the Upper Gate of the site, after a little while you will come to the beginning of this street where you will meet the back of Hercules or Herakles Gate just after a fountain which is named as "Hydreion". On this street you will see a statue of Androklos on the right; further down the Trajan's Fountain on the right, Scholastician Bath on the same side as well as the Public Toilets, etc. all the way to the Library of Ephesus which is the intersection of two roads: Curetes Street and Marble Street.
: 21 Sep 2006/09:20 GMT |
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