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The National Geographic Magazine 



vast wilderness of ruins which mark the 

 site of ancient Ephesus has contributed 

 much to human knowledge, especially ar- 

 chitecture. From 1864 to 1871 Mr J. T. 

 Wood, after a long search, finally suc- 

 ceeded in discovering and excavating the 

 Temple of Diana. Since that time others 

 have obtained permission to dig, and es- 

 pecially the Austrian government, which 

 is at present successfully engaged in ex- 

 cavating the double church, library, and 

 other interesting buildings. 



Today the site of the Temple of Diana, 

 or Artemision, is nothing but a huge hole 

 in the earth partly filled with water, 

 which usually dries up in the summer 

 time, but on account of the swamps all 

 about, it is considered to be a hotbed of 

 fever. Remnants of broken pillars and 

 blocks of marble which served as a firm 

 basis for the temple may be seen project- 

 ing above the water. In 1870 Mr J. T. 

 Wood, after searching for seven years, 

 discovered the whereabouts of the temple 

 and made this excavation. The destruction 

 of Diana's marvel has been exceptionally 

 thorough. Throughout hundreds of years 

 it was used as a marble quarry for adorn- 

 ing the mosques and public buildings of 

 Constantinople and Ayasalouk. 



The temple at Ephesus was one of the 

 most remarkable structures ever reared 

 by man. As an example of what an in- 

 exhaustible mine of treasure and relics 

 the site of Ephesus is, I have but to state 

 that in 1904 Mr Hogarth, an English 

 archaeologist, succeeded in making some 

 new discoveries of note upon the site of 

 the temple. Mr Wood, in his statement, 

 says that he went to such depth that he 

 found the original charcoal which was 

 placed in layers upon the natural soil as 

 a foundation for the temple. Mr Ho- 

 garth put up steam suction pumps in 

 order to keep the shaft clear of water, 

 and, piercing through this layer of char- 

 coal, succeeded in finding the pavements 

 of two former temples. At some consid- 

 erable distance under the altar he un- 

 earthed a large stone box filled with gold 

 coins and ivory figures dating from the 

 time of Solomon. 



The theater at Ephesus was one of the 



largest in Asia Minor, and had a seating 

 capacity of 24,500 persons. It has been 

 entirely excavated, and one may dis- 

 tinctly see sixty-six rows of scats one 

 above the other. The proscenium stands 

 today in ruins, although enough still re- 

 mains preserved to give a good idea of 

 its magnificent proportions. Handsome 

 shafts of polished granite and marble pil- 

 lars adorn the front entrance. It was in 

 this theater that Saint Paul's preaching 

 aroused the fanaticism of the smiths and 

 craftsmen who made a living from the 

 manufacture of little portable shrines or 

 models of the Temple of Diana. 



The ruins of Ephesus are so vast that 

 it is practically impossible for anybody to 

 adequately describe them, and while 

 many monuments have been fully studied, 

 yet I am not aware that anybody has ever 

 thoroughly covered or explained the iden- 

 tity or history of all that is extant above 

 the earth's surface. 



What is most needed at Ephesus is a 

 systematic excavation of the entire city, 

 upon the same basis and thoroughness as 

 has characterized the work of the Ger- 

 mans at Priene. 



Ephesus was one of the twelve Ionian 

 cities, and later became the seat of one of 

 the Seven Churches. As the terminal 

 point of one of the greatest highways 

 leading into the interior of the country, 

 the city soon rose to commercial opu- 

 lence. It was the home of Heraclitus, 

 who exerted such a powerful influence 

 upon the earlier Grecian philosophy. It 

 was from Ephesus that Mithridates 

 issued that famous decree which doomed 

 to massacre no less than one hundred and 

 fifty thousand helpless Roman men, 

 women, and children. The Roman em- 

 perors, with the exception perhaps of 

 Nero, who caused the temple to be plun- 

 dered, following the example of Alexan- 

 der the Great, did a great deal for Ephe- 

 sus in the way of rebuilding the city after 

 earthquakes, building embankments for 

 the Cayster, and in dredging the inner 

 harbor. In 260 A. D. the Goths de- 

 stroyed the city and temple. 



Under Seljuk and Byzantine rule 

 Ephesus gradually declined and became 



