The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-01-16
ANCIENT EPHEsUs.
Interesting and Successful Work By an
 American Expedition.

From the Philadelphia Ledger.
 Extensive excavations are being made at Ephesus by an American expedition and the work has thus far met with much success. That the discoveries are or the highest historical and archaeolosical 'h- terest is manifest, as Ephesus was essen- tially the arena in which the luxury or the east was destined to do battle with the more spiritual culture of the Heiehlc world. According to tradition, the orlglh of the city was oriental. The Amazons were said to have been it's founders; put it was not long before Androcius' son oi codrus the Athenian, led q colony thither' The Hellenic element waxed strong, Epne- sus became one of the twelve great Ionic cities of Asia and it's prosperity was que to the cult of the famed "Diana or the Ephesians" in the first place, and supse- quently to the city having become great center of trade. "Diana," of course, IS only the translation of "Artemis, founo In the Greek Testament; and the latter Is merely the name given by the Greeks to the great nature goddess or the east appearing among many peoples under many names, Ishtar, Ashtoreth, etc., a conception far removed from the chaste deity of the Creeks The permanenee or the Hellenic element was due largely to the situation of the city in the 1erule nlain of the Cayster and the excellent har- borage. further improved by an artihclal canal which brought the trading vessels right up to the city walls. Hence Ephesus became a great commercial emporium so much so that under the Roman Empire she Is found striving for imperial recos- milton as the chief city of Asia, against Smyrna and Uergamus.
 The city, thoroughly Hellenic in It's ar rangement occupied the high ground or Mount Coressus, and, to less extent Mount Prion. The great gymnasium lay in the nlain to the west of the former, and immediately behind it was the forum the scene of the riot mentioned in Acts xix The theatre was also situated In thls quarter cut in the side of the mount; the Odeum lay to the south, aid the Mag nesian gate to the southeast All three were connected by road. The great temple, one of the seven wonders or the world. was some distance from the city, and the sacred procession, after leaViI it was wont to enter the city by the Magnetism gate, and to return by the Coressin gate, which lay to the north or the mount Not only trade flourished at F,nhesus. but also art and letters; Herad- clitus, one of the founders of Greek pfil- osophy. and Hermodorus, who assisted in the decemyiri at Rome to draw up the laws of the future mistress of the world, were both Ephesians. But great as she was. she only enjoyed brief moments or freedom-at least, as understood by the Greeks, Lydia, Persia, Macedonia and Rome were in turn her suzerains, ard though she took active part in political ar- fairs as "home of lost causes by sup porting Mithridates and Brutus and Cas- sins. vet, had fortune been otherwise, 1t would only have meant for Ter an ex- change of masters.
 The glory of the temple lasted long, in spite of the fact that in 371 A. D. the gen. eral council of the Christian church was held there.
 Now on the site of this once magnificent city is nothing but a wretched village. Ayasalulx Even this name is interesting, however, since it Is a corruption Of one of the Greek titles of St. John.