Triodos Square and its main monuments in Ephesus

Submitted by Iza on Tue, 12/15/2020 - 10:04

Following the Marble (Theatre) Street to the south, the ancient visitors and the modern-era tourists arrive at the very heart of Ephesus, known as Triodos Square. Even today, the moment when one enters the square can take the breath away. To the west, the magnificent facade of the Celsus Library towers over the space. Moreover, previously hidden from the view, the Curetes Street leading to the Upper City becomes visible. To the east, the colonnades gently made a curve and helped to hide the structures behind, a large peristyle villa and a public latrine.

This text is a fragment of a guidebook to Ephesus: "The Secrets of Ephesus".

So-called Hadrian's Gate on the Triodos Square in Ephesus

Lower City of Troy

Submitted by Iza on Tue, 12/08/2020 - 10:03

The Lower City of Troy VI/VIIa (13th-14th century BCE) stretches outside the citadel, to the west. Stone foundations of numerous houses have been identified here. The most spectacular finds from the Lower City include a bronze statuette and a terracotta bull figurine. Excavations are still being conducted in this area, bringing new, exciting discoveries every year.

This text is a fragment of a guidebook to Troy "The Secrets of Troy (TAN Travel Guide)".

November 2020 in Turkish archaeology

Submitted by Iza on Tue, 12/01/2020 - 08:38

November of 2020 was definitely a month of many fascinating archaeological finds in the area of Turkey. Certainly, the most attention was drawn to the spectacular works at Karahan Tepe in Şanlıurfa Province where the discovered settlement that may be older than the prehistoric site of Göbeklitepe. However, many more great artefacts were found, including a bronze statue weighing 300 kg, drawn out of the water by fishermen from Marmaris. Meanwhile, burial chambers were found in Amida Mound situated at the heart of Diyarbakır along with a 1,800-year-old sewer system. Finally, the police forces were busy catching 2428 pieces of historical artefacts in Adana and uncovering an illegal dig at Aphrodisias where two 2,500-year-old sarcophagi were unearthed.

Curetes Street in Ephesus

Submitted by Iza on Wed, 11/25/2020 - 08:07

Curetes Street is one of the main thoroughfares of Ephesus. It leads from the Library of Celsus to the Hercules Gate, extending along a northwest-southeast axis, in the saddle between the Panayir and Bülbül hills. Curetes Street can be considered the link between two main areas of Ephesus - the political and the commercial one. After leaving the Lower Agora, the walk uphill along this street takes the visitors to the vicinity of the Upper Agora, the political heart of ancient Ephesus. Its strategic location meant that Curetes Street's role was not only purely practical as the communication link between two parts of Ephesus. It was also a part of the processional route that was followed to celebrate the city's chief goddess, Artemis. Finally, similarly to the Arcadianne, Curetes Street played the role of an ostentatious boulevard, created to impress the visitors and show off the wealth of Ephesus.

This text is a fragment of a guidebook to Ephesus: "The Secrets of Ephesus".

Western Sanctuary of Troy

Submitted by Iza on Fri, 11/20/2020 - 09:15

The temple complex of the Western Sanctuary was built during the Archaic period of ancient Greece, but the sanctuary was also used later, during the Hellenistic and Roman times, with some modifications. The visible remains of buildings of the Sanctuary date back to the period of Troy VIII and IX. They were erected on the ruins of earlier buildings of Troy VI and VII, perhaps also serving some religious purposes. The best-preserved structure is an altar of the so-called Lower Sanctuary. There are also several wells, which were used for the collection of the blood of sacrificial animals and drawing water.

This text is a fragment of a guidebook to Troy "The Secrets of Troy (TAN Travel Guide)".