The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-12-17
A VISIT TO FPHES US.

doing Ephcsus: you in"y oither go 'hcIc "n'
like tho Apostle. iight WIN peas's' III inc
shape OF donkeys ana donkey boys. or you may
wear yourself to death under tho blazing SUM-
alternately scramplihg over lts rocks anu SILK
ing ankle deep in the mire oil It's marshes. In
old days it was an easy two days ride from
Smyrna to Ephesus. tho distance pcing ABOUT
fifty miles. but the Smyrna ana Alden railway
speeds you to the ruins In ABOUT TWO hours
now. Hrst through inc romnhu" htlle sorCe
from whose rocky ledgc rises inc hil'
crowned by tho ruined castle whicn oVeriooKs
the town. past modern ana an ancient a1"o-
duct. the latter moss-grown anu picturesque
with It's double sets OF archcs' rising ono apoVe
tho other; through orange ana pomcgranate
groves ana vineyards yellow anu ans
at this season OF the year from the drought
across fertile plains from which the cerehis anu
corn crops have been removed. and where
nocks Of sheep and goats are scattered on
distant hill slopes. or follow in long lines the
striking figures OF the shepherds in their
broad houdered felt coats; past the black
tents Of the Yourouks. u nomadio tribe OF
Turcomans whose kindred extend from here
to tho great wall OF China. and who vary their
pastoral operations from one end Of Asia to
tho other with predatory raids upon I'M
suspecting travellers; and so on into wilder
country where the mountains close In upon us
and the western tourist begins TO realize that
he ia really in Asia. as groups of Erunting
camels. colected Mt the little railway stations
and their wild looking owners tell of Journeys
into the far interior. and excite a longing in
his cockney breast to emancpatc himself from
tba 1uidance Of Cook and p,uppe into tho
remote recssses OF Asia Minor or Kurdis,an
As wa appro,ch Ephosus the country again
becomes more fertile. and groves OF fig trees
surpassng all preconceived notions Of the size
ordinarily attained by these trees. reveal ons OF
the principal sources of SUNNY OF those fine
fresh flps" which find their way I'm such abun-
dance to American railway cars. As the mod
ern Ephesus Is a miserable little village con-
tanning only n few huts and very linn tied sup
ply OF donkeys the wary traveller will SEQ that
bis ara sent on from SMYRNA beforehand and
will probablv f,nd some consolation for tho alb
senoe OF anv competent guide or decent ac-
commodation. or appliances for seeing the
ruins In the evidence which this fact nffords of
the eomparatiye rareness OF tourist visitors
So far from being assailed by shouts for
baeksbeesh or bombnrded by sellers of sham
optioues or struggled for nv rival guides ono
is left entirelv to ono,s own dovices on that
deso,ate little platform, There is an apology
for hotel It ia true where cold potted meats
nre tn Ina obtained and nv dint of mucb search-
Ing. a Guide. himself an antioue. turns no but
row Of columns still standing. which once sun
portcd an aoueduct and the crumbjng ruins
Of n castle ON a conical little hill Immediately
bebind tbe railway station suprest the mis-
,aken idea that tbese are the ruins of
Ephesus. They are very decent ruins. ms ruins
90 but the castle IL n comparntiyeIy modern
SeliOk stronghold and there il NOTHING, certain
about the antiquity of the aoueduct Jney
ploripp the castle W. find that tn. blocks o,
stone of old Ephesus have been built into its
wallis and that a stiu more ancient ratewov
dating from the early perod Of the Byzantine
Empire is also largely composed Of these
antique fragments upon which inscriptions Of
n far older date are TO he deeiphered provipp
that they formed part of a Greek templc. So in
the old mosoue Of Sultan Selim which 10 Mt TN.
base OF the hill we find that tho magnificent
monolith columns OF n still more ancient
ediGce have been used In the construction
of what must in its day have been n fine speci-
men of Saracenic arch itecture but we have not
yet reached the site OF ancient bphesus. AS
we stand on the steps of the old mosque we
- ~. 80, Gnu MOI" p'",n' 49,. "
niie oioau WHICH eAlehus 10 the ioot OF TWO
rocky hills. each about 200 feet high. and
divided from each other by what uppears to be
a .hasm pshind thas. ia rib ill.,
a cnasm. behihu these Is hlghcr ridge
rocky emnences and ON their further stones
H., s $50 $50 W, 80 ~. nv ',cps'
NJ" h'uoeh from 'ie"' tha' 'ne ancient Ephe-
sus stood; but the problem which tor many
wears yexed antiouariaBs was tho site until
roa.r.,,, 49,, ,,,.,T., ~ -, 80 49, o.
ieecnt'y UNDISCOVERED Vi What gave the town
its chief no.orcty.
The tenlple of the crnat Goddess Diana
ohor. = ,,nr,or - ~, ,, -. 49,, - .
"oou. iua''ei Vi 'ne way ucloss 'ie Pialh WIS
wide. low mound and here 1t is that the re-
cent excavations of Mr.. Wood have laid bare
ON, - ,b, ,,,os, i,.oro,,i, ,,,,,,a,, "a,
~ " w ' V'''"" a. ''''''''oh ''" u'S-
coVerles OF modern times. We eagerly tramp
across the mud and over the corn stalks Of this
yoor,s ,ron "a tho J.;hris orJ o,;,,,hi,,., T..
80 ~, 10y w '"e u'''' anu e'','i'ins NY !"
look down upon vast depressed area. filled
with fragments of magnificent marble columns
on1 viii carved L,1oLs an ,rhioh 49,, -
anu WIN e"r'ou o'ocks Oh WHICH are IN
scriptions so fresh that they seem to
have been caryed yosterd,v all INN
&c., .o.i ',.1'' "' '.'.
o'eu tose'her III noi'eiess cohlusioh'
but from amid which Mr.. Wood. who has
had "A force of 800 men eycavatinr hero for tho
To-. H.. 80 No.. ,.,, ~
ms. '''l.e yo". = nus unc"IV heu many Va'uaoie
memorials. Az me tilne OF our visit the work
Wis ,suspcnucu' ana Mr WOOD was away. nor
WIS II possinr TO ohtnin from the utterly dilap-
Iud.uu o!u aiao wi3 taI'su himself hsulue any
f In, actuuh, %, tne Iast tcSuil, tcvonu the
i"f, ,,l',, snip niu come 70 tnkc mem away
,H'u' out oii' Inscription Wnlch was hrnnr-
entiy n NOllNc tablet to the daughter of the