Magnesian Gate Area in Ephesus

GPS coordinates: 37.934795, 27.346285

Archaeological site: 

Magnesian Gate in Ephesus
Magnesian Gate in Ephesus

Description: 

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

The guided tours of Ephesus usually finish with the visit to the area of the State Agora and the monuments surrounding it. However, after leaving the archaeological site via the Southern Entrance, it is worthwhile to stay here for a moment or two, to see some ancient buildings situated outside the official sightseeing paths.

The first one of them is the so-called Tomb of Saint Luke, standing just before the upper entrance to Ephesus. It is a fountain from the 2nd century CE. Originally, the building consisted of a round podium, supporting 16 columns that surrounded a water basin. What is the origin of the wrong association of the building with Saint Luke? Around the year 500, the fountain building was transformed into a church with a crypt. Based on the numerous graves in the vicinity of the building, as well as coins and ceramics, researchers determined that the church served the faithful until the 13th or even 14th century.

So-called Tomb of Saint Luke in Ephesus
So-called Tomb of Saint Luke in Ephesus

In the end 19th century, John Turtle Wood who was searching for the Artemision of Ephesus, saw a relief depicting a humpbacked ox and a cross on the pilaster standing at the southern entrance to the crypt. Because the ox is one of the attributes of Saint Luke, the building was identified as his grave. At the same time, Wood entirely ignored the fact that Saint Luke died (possibly a martyr's death) in mainland Greece, and his tomb was to be located in Thebes. This information had already been provided by the Greek historian Nikephoros Kallistos Xanthopoulos, in the 14th century. Moreover, the tomb was empty, as the relics of the saint were moved to Constantinople in the 4th century. Alas, as Mark Twain once put it, "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story".

Information board providing some details about the so-called Tomb of Saint Luke in Ephesus
Information board providing some details about the so-called Tomb of Saint Luke in Ephesus

Just inside the Hellenistic Walls, next to the Magnesian Gate, there are the remains of the East Gymnasium. The building, erected in the 2nd century CE, has been preserved in a reasonably good condition. It combined the functions of the gymnasium and the baths but also had an auditorium. In the central part of the building, there were bathing rooms, surrounded on three sides by vaulted halls designed for physical exercises.

East Gymnasium in Ephesus
East Gymnasium in Ephesus

When archaeological works were carried out in the gymnasium, the statues of the god of health Asclepius, Hygeia, Pan, and Dionysus were found. Because the portrait statues of Flavius Damianus, the famous sophist, and his wife, Vedia Phaedrina, were found in the Emperor's salon of the baths, it is assumed that this couple funded the construction of the building. All these statues are now in the Archaeological Museum in Izmir.

Detail of a marble statue thought to be a portrait of the Ephesian Sophist Titus Flavius Damianus as a priest of the Roman imperial cult, wearing a bust crown with 15 miniature imperial and/or divine busts (all now headless). Circa 193-211 CE. Found in the exedra of the East Gymnasium in Ephesus in 1930. Height 232 cm, height of head 35 cm. Now in Izmir Archaeological Museum
Detail of a marble statue thought to be a portrait of the Ephesian Sophist Titus Flavius Damianus as a priest of the Roman imperial cult, wearing a bust crown with 15 miniature imperial and/or divine busts (all now headless). Circa 193-211 CE. Found in the exedra of the East Gymnasium in Ephesus in 1930. Height 232 cm, height of head 35 cm. Now in Izmir Archaeological Museum

The area is closed to the public at the moment, but you can peek inside the fence on the left side of the road to see the area from a distance. A cable has been masterfully stretched between two poles in front of the ruined building to "improve" the viewing experience.

East Gymnasium in Ephesus
East Gymnasium in Ephesus

The Magnesian Gate was the starting point of an important road that led to the city of Magnesia, about 30 kilometres to the east. Then, the road turned into the historical land known as Caria towards Tralles (modern Aydın), and further, deep into Asia Minor. The gate was erected as a part of the Hellenistic fortifications, but it was later rebuilt several times.

Magnesian Gate in Ephesus
Magnesian Gate in Ephesus

The main gateway is 3.7 meters wide. It was a beautiful example of Hellenistic city gates with a square courtyard. The entrance of the gate was protected by two high towers of a rectangular plan. In front, there was a spacious, paved square filled with tombs dedicated to some of the city's distinguished citizens. Behind it, there was a narrow courtyard encircled by high walls. If the gate broke under the attack of the enemy, the attackers would come into this court, where they would be annihilated under fire from the high walls.

Magnesian Gate in Ephesus
Magnesian Gate in Ephesus

The gate once also held marble statues between each of the entrances, acting as the guardians of the city. A statue of Artemis stood either on or near the gate. Thus, in the Roman times, the whole building was transformed from the element of Ephesus defences into a magnificent monument, greeting the travellers arriving from the eastern direction, via an overland route.

Information board about the Magnesian Gate in Ephesus
Information board about the Magnesian Gate in Ephesus

Around 210 CE, a roofed hall connected the Magnesian Gate with the Artemision, two km away to the north. It was also sponsored by Flavius Damianus. This spectacular portico was constructed entirely of marble, and its purpose was to protect the worshippers against the rain. Damianus dedicated this marble stoa to his wife, Vedia Phaedrina, one of the last of the influential Vedii Antonini family. The traces of this stoa were first discovered by John Turtle Wood in the 1860s when he traced the Processional Way route to find the Artemision.