Ephesus was the capital of the Roman province of Asia and a thriving port. The main street, known as the Arcadiane, was flanked by colonnades with mosaic pavements and led from the harbour to the theatre.
The theatre was an adapted Hellenistic structure, capable of accommodating 24,000 spectators. It was the scene of a riot provoked by St. Paul, during which silversmiths protested against the Christian doctrine with their cry, 'Great is the goddess Artemis of the Ephesians'.
On the north side of the Arcadiane lay a series of public gymnasiums and baths.
The Library of Ephesus commemorated a distinguished citizen and former proconsul of Asia, Gaius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, who was buried in a vault beneath its central apse. Galleries on two storeys gave access to cupboards where some 12,000 books were stored.
Ephesus fell into decline as the harbour silted up and its buildings yielded to subsidence caused by earthquakes.
