Original subtitles

[serene music]

NARRATOR: Today's Turkiye is an absorbing mixture of the modern

and the ancient of Eastern and Western influences.

Vibrant cities, archeological sites, and

stunning natural landscapes.

Modern Turkiye is a global powerhouse,

but this is nothing new, as the country has

been an important player on the world stage

throughout the past.

The history of the region dates all the way back

to ancient antiquity, and some of the earliest civilizations

were established in this area, leading to many thousands

of years of kingdoms, empires, and states.

It's this rich and fascinating history,

combined with the country's cultural diversity,

world-famous cuisine, and a rapidly modernizing

infrastructure that makes it a very

popular destination with visitors

from all over the world.

Ancient history has never been made

more alive than in Turkiye's magnificently

preserved archeological sites.

Be immersed in these remarkable destinations

as we take a glimpse into the lives and times of the people

who lived in them so long ago.

Welcome to Turkiye's astonishing antiquities.

Revealed from the air and from the ground.

[serene music]

The history of Turkiye is mythical and at times violent,

dating back many thousands of years

to the ancient antiquity, when the area was known

as Anatolia or Asia Minor.

In this four-part series, we're going to visit quite a number

of these sites to marvel at what they are today

and come face to face with what life

was like when they were thriving

cities and communities.

Much of our journey will follow the mail route of ancient Rome,

which went through the major population and

political centers of the time.

We've called this series Turkiye's Astonishing

Antiquities because that's what they truly are, astonishing.

Guiding us along the way are leading experts

on the history of this area, especially the cultural

and religious aspects.

David Trim is a historian, archivist,

and educator who specializes in European military

and religious history.

He's been a fellow of the Royal Historical Society in London

since 2003.

It's a privilege to be part of this project.

As an historian, I love visiting

Turkiye because it fires my historical imagination.

NARRATOR: Dr. Marina Garner grew up in Brazil,

where she studied theology and taught religion before moving

to the USA in 2013, where she has

since completed a PhD in religious studies

at Boston University.

At the inception of the Republic of Turkiye,

Turkish laws regarding women were ahead of its time.

Before many countries allowed women to vote,

Turkish women were voting.

NARRATOR: Dr. Jon Paulien is professor of New Testament

and Dean of the School of Religion at Loma Linda

University in California.

He's authored over 25 books and is a keen traveler.

I love the sights, the sounds,

and the smells of Istanbul.

You may not be aware of it, but it's

the only major city in the world

that's actually lies on two continents.

And the continents are divided by a body

of water called Bosphorus.

[calming music]

NARRATOR: So far in this four-part series,

we've explored the remarkable feast for all the senses

that is Istanbul, and then headed southeast

to another fascinating city, which

played quite an important role in ancient history.

Tarsus was where Alexander the Great almost

died after swimming in the freezing waters of the river

Cydnus, where the great Roman orator Cicero lived for a time,

where Julius Caesar visited, where Mark

Anthony first met Cleopatra...

She sailed up the Cydnus on a barge dressed like Aphrodite...

And where the apostle Paul was born,

and would later return to bring Christianity to Asia Minor.

More recently, this area was in the spotlight after it was hit

by two devastating earthquakes, which damaged or destroyed

close to a quarter of a million buildings

and killed over 55,000 people.

The recovery is still ongoing.

In this third episode of Turkiye's

astonishing antiquities, we're first

immersing ourselves in one of the most remarkable

ancient sites on the planet.

Situated in Western Turkiye, Ephesus is stunning

in both its extent and also by how much of this city

has survived to tell the story of its extremely long history.

Then, later in this episode, we'll

be traveling to Smyrna for more absorbing journeys

back in time.

Not surprisingly, Ephesus is a must-see location

and attracts huge numbers of visitors

annually from all over the world.

The site occupies over 400 hectares,

and there's much to see amongst the numerous excavated

features and many reconstructed buildings.

Even in ruins, the magnificence of Ephesus in its heyday

is still easy to see.

The remarkably well-preserved site

is a truly immersive experience for the 21st century visitor.

It provides a compelling insight into what

life in this city would have been

like around 2,000 years ago.

The city of Ephesus was built in 600 BC by the Greeks

on the coast of Ionia.

It later was conquered by the Macedonians in 286 BC,

and then by the Romans in 133.

NARRATOR: Even before the Romans arrived,

Ephesus had become a major port city, which contributed

to a long period of wealth and prosperity,

and was reflected in the building of

many magnificent structures.

This is a booming city.

It's a trade route.

It's part of religious pilgrimage.

It has a lot going for it.

It's a large, large city.

And what's really interesting about Ephesus

is that in the beginning of the first century,

most of the large cities in Asia Minor

had adhered to the imperial cult, that

is, the cult or the adoration of emperors,

Roman emperors as gods.

Ephesus had not yet adhered to that practice,

and that is because of the centrality

of the Temple of Artemis.

NARRATOR: The ancient Ephesians considered Artemis

to be their own, and indeed they called

her Artemis of the Ephesians.

In Greek mythology, she's the daughter of Zeus

and the twin of Apollo.

She was also referred to as Cynthia, Luna, and Phoebe,

and by her Roman name, Diana.

The temple at Ephesus attracted pilgrims

from all over the ancient world,

further contributing to the city's fame and wealth.

They came over land and by sea.

However, over time, the original harbor slowly silted

up, and by the Middle Ages Ephesus ceased to be a seaport

and a slow decline began.

Sometime in the 14th century, the city,

which by now had dwindled in size

to no more than just a small town, was completely abandoned.

Today, the coastline is over five kilometers away

from the archeological site.

Ephesus was one of the wealthiest cities in the

ancient Eastern Mediterranean.

It had not become the seat of its own kingdom

as Pergamum had, but it was powerful,

it was very affluent, with much trade going in and out.

Ephesus was the gateway to the Asia Minor hinterland.

NARRATOR: The city's port and its overland trade links

into the Eastern part of Anatolia, Ancient Turkiye,

were highly prized and highly coveted.

Consequently, Ephesus changed hands

on many occasions over the period from 500 BC

until the arrival of the Romans.

There were periods under the control

of the Spartans, the Persians, the Seleucids,

and the Ptolemies.

Alexander the Great also played a part in the city's history.

After his army defeated the occupying Persians,

he made a significant financial contribution to the building

of the Temple of Artemis.

However, it's under the Romans that Ephesus really thrived,

becoming the capital of the Roman province

of Asia and growing to a population

of around 250,000 people.

According to the Greek geographer and historian

Strabo, under Roman rule, Ephesus

became second only in size and status to Rome itself.

Much of what can be seen today dates from sometime

during the 525 years of direct Roman rule,

and in particular, the first two centuries AD,

when the city was not just a great center of trade

and commerce, but also of learning,

culture, art, and religion.

The wide and paved streets were lined with shops and stalls.

Water was supplied via an aqueduct system

and fed the many bath complexes and public toilets,

as well as decorative fountains.

There were theaters and stadiums, many temples,

and plenty of public spaces in which to relax or socialize.

For many, life in ancient Ephesus

would have been very comfortable indeed.

Perhaps the single most visited antiquity in Turkiye

is the ruins of the city of Ephesus.

Ephesus was one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire,

on the west coast of what we call Turkiye today.

And you can visit the tour of Ephesus

from two different locations, which is unusual.

You can enter it at one end and at the opposite end as well.

But since it tends to go downhill,

most people start their tour at the upper side of the ruins.

And when you come through the gate of the Ephesus,

right in front of you, there's an Odeon,

which is kind of a concert hall, had about 1,600 seats.

And there'd be music there.

There would be plays.

The Senate of Ephesus would have their meetings there.

NARRATOR: The Odeon was an exclusive meeting

place for the great and the good of ancient Ephesus.

This was where council members, priests, politicians,

and the city's wealthiest citizens

met to discuss business or to be entertained.

Indeed, odeon in Greek means concert hall.

The seating area or kavya would have

been shaded by a wooden roof supported

by triangular trusses.

The stage area would have been spectacular,

although today, only the supporting slabs

and column stubs remain.

It was two stories in height, with columns,

and decorated with many small niches filled with statues.

Close by were the city's main baths, now known

as the upper gymnasium baths.

The complex also included a latrina, public toilets,

and numerous small ante rooms which

housed shops and food stalls.

A common feature of ancient Greek cities

was a stoa, which was essentially a covered walkway,

but a rather grand one with space

for all sorts of activities, from markets

to religious services.

It was open on three sides with a back wall

and the roof supported by rows of parallel columns.

You could walk from one main building

to another via the stoa, avoiding the baking

sun or the pouring rain.

Most of the main streets in Ephesus were lined with stoas.

The stoa basilica, also known as the royal walk,

was particularly grand.

Built in the first century AD, it was 165 meters in length,

with two stories and three aisles.

It was most likely used for administrative and judicial

activities, so there was direct access from the stoa

to the Odeon via gates.

A total of 167 columns were used

in the original construction, which was subsequently

destroyed by an earthquake just 12

years after it was completed.

It was subsequently rebuilt, adding yet more columns

to provide greater strength.

The rows of column bases that still remain

give some idea of how grand this structure

would once have been.

This part of the ancient city was its administrative center.

And here, the state agora, or civic square,

has its origins in the late Hellenistic period.

It covered an area of around 160 in length and meters

in width.

It would have been buzzing with activity, meetings, debates,

social activities, religious gatherings,

and even sporting events.

The agora was the beating heart of many ancient cities.

The state agora at Ephesus was walled with entrance gates

at various points and with stoas along either side.

Fountains were a common feature,

and often memorial monuments or tombs

were built close by, or even within the structure

as a mark of respect for the city's

really important citizens.

The Pollio monument on the northwestern edge of the state

agora commemorates Gaius Sextilius Pollio,

who was a wealthy Ephesian.

Among many other donations, he provided the funds

to build the stoa basilica and one

of the city's main aqueducts.

Appropriately then, alongside the Pollio cenotaph

is a fountain, which is actually

more like a small temple in its design and size.

The large arch at the front has been

reconstructed to give an idea of the original grandeur.

Today, it's variously known as the Pollio fountain

or the Domitianus fountain, named after the Roman

emperor Caesar Domitianus.

The nearby Memmius monument celebrates another

prominent citizen of Ephesus.

It was built in the first century AD by Gaius Memmius

and dedicated to his grandfather, the Roman dictator

Sulla, who liberated the city from the Pontic Empire

in 84 BC.

The remains of the monument were only rediscovered in 1959,

and it seems that much of the original stonework

was removed and reused for other buildings.

When it was built, it was elaborately decorated,

but all that remains today is a small collection of stones

and pillars, as well as two rough reliefs

of Memmius' father Caius and his grandfather Sulla.

It's lined with Doric column timbers, the round sections,

which came from the prytaneion and so are inscribed

with the names of the priests or kouretes,

hence the popular name for this thoroughfare.

As Ephesus thrived under Roman rule,

main thoroughfares like Curetes Street became increasingly

crowded, and sometime in the late

4th century AD, it was decided to make a pedestrian precinct.

Some ideas really aren't new.

A gate was subsequently built at the eastern end,

and deliberately made too narrow to permit the passage

of carts or chariots.

The gate posts were carved with reliefs

of Hercules, one of Greek mythology's great heroes.

Originally, the gate of Hercules

was an archway within a substantial

two-storey structure, and with six

columns supporting each floor.

Hercules is depicted wrapped in the golden fur

of the fearsome Nemean lion, which only

he was brave enough to kill.

A little further down Curetes Street

is the Fountain of Traianus, one of the biggest

and grandest in ancient Ephesus.

It was built in 114 AD to honor the emperor Traianus,

or as he's better known, Trajan,

and was nearly 10 meters in height,

with a large rectangular pool at the front and another

even bigger on an upper floor.

Water flowed from pipes beneath a pedestal,

on which was set a marble statue of the emperor Traianus

carved at twice life size.

Under one foot was a stone sphere,

symbolizing the world domination

desired by the Roman Empire.

Only the pedestal and one of the emperor's feet

have survived until today, and the fountain's many

other statues have gone too.

But from what remains, it's still

possible to appreciate just how magnificent

this whole structure would have been.

Another Roman emperor, Hadrian or Hadrianus,

is honored with a temple in his name.

It was built on Curetes Street during the 2nd century and is

remarkably well preserved, although some conservation

and reconstruction work has been done to it,

mostly using the original stone, to further

enhance the appearance.

Hadrian visited Ephesus in 124 AD and again in 129,

subsequently giving the city special permission

to build the temple, which was considered a status symbol.

Behind Hadrian's temple are the remains of another of Ephesus's

largest public bath complexes.

The Baths of Varius were built in the late 1st century AD,

and again had separate areas for cold,

warm and hot water, as well as a sauna or sudatorium.

Water was fed to the complex in clay pipes

and then heated using furnaces.

Hot air from these furnaces provided underfloor heating.

Only the very wealthy could afford private baths,

so the majority of Ephesians would

have used public facilities.

Visiting the baths was a part of their daily routine.

Men and women usually bathed separately,

using the same baths but at different times of the day.

After disrobing in the dressing room,

you would then progress through the cold and warm baths

for washing and end up in the hot baths for relaxing.

And no doubt, a bit of socializing and gossiping.

The remains that can be seen today are mostly from the 4th

century AD, after the baths had been extensively renovated

using funds donated by a Christian

woman called Scholastica.

For this reason, the complex is also

known as the Baths of Scholastica,

and her headless statue still sits

in a niche in the apodyterium or dressing room.

Curetes Street ends with a flourish

at the Library of Celsus, with its impressive colonnaded

two-storey facade.

Built in the first quarter of the 2nd century AD,

the library was also a mausoleum

for Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus,

better known simply as Celsus.

He was the proconsul governor of the Roman Asia province

from 105 AD to 107.

He was also a citizen of Ephesus, which

made him a VIP, a Very Important Person

as far as the city was concerned.

As it happened, Celsus paid for the library's construction

himself, including the purchasing of new books

or papyrus scrolls, as they would have been then,

on an annual basis.

The bequeath paid for 12,000 volumes,

and the library eventually held 16,000 scrolls stored in niches

and separate wooden boxes on the upper

two of the interior's three floors.

The ground floor comprised the reading hall,

as the one-off scrolls could not

be borrowed in the traditional sense of a modern library.

At the rear of the library was an apse, and in a vault below

was the decorated marble sarcophagus of Tiberius

Julius Celsus Polemaeanus.

He remains there in blissful ignorance,

but the rest of the library didn't fare so well.

In 262 AD, the interior and its irreplaceable contents

were destroyed by fire, most likely

the result of an earthquake.

Only the facade remained standing,

and it was finished off in the 10th

century by another earthquake.

The building lay in overgrown ruins

until the start of the 20th century,

when excavations began.

The facade was rebuilt during the 1970s,

using as much of the original materials as could

be located and identified.

The lower section of the facade features the statues

of four women who represent the ideals of Wisdom, Virtue,

Judgment, and Knowledge.

They are only replicas, with the originals on display

in Vienna's Ephesus museum.

At the southern end of Curetes Street

is a restored monumental gate, originally built in 3 BC

by the slaves of two wealthy citizens of Ephesus called

Mazaeus and Mithridates.

The pair had been slaves themselves

before achieving their freedom and being sent

to Ephesus to manage the many properties

owned by the Roman Empire.

Now known as the Gate of Mazaeus and Mithridates,

it was originally constructed as a triumphal arch.

Subsequently, it was converted to a set

of very grand triple entrance gates

early in the 1st century AD.

It honors the Emperor Caesar Augustus,

who had granted the pair's freedom,

and the reconstruction of the gates

took place between 1979 and 1988.

It's interesting to note that both the reconstruction

of these gates and the library's facade

have been designed to withstand the earthquakes, which are

a common occurrence in this part of Turkiye

and which destroyed them in the first place.

And so far, they have.

After Curetes Street, Marble Street

takes the visitor northwards, where more of ancient Ephesus's

wonders await.

It, too, was a processional route for religious ceremonies,

and so was entirely paved in marble rather than just stone.

There were elevated stoas on either side,

serving as covered pedestrian walkways with small shops

and stalls behind.

The street itself would have been

busy with carts and chariots.

So the concept of separating people and wheeled traffic

was already in practice in the first and second century AD.

The stoa of Nero ran along the western side,

and the terrace wall, made from masonry blocks,

is still in evidence.

On the eastern side ran a colonnade

containing more shops.

It also led to private residences.

Not far along Marble Street is one of the real highlights

of the ancient Ephesus site, as remarkable

now as it was when it was built over 2,000 years ago.

The appropriately titled grand theater originated sometime

in the third century BC as a smaller Hellenistic structure,

but was subsequently significantly enlarged

on several occasions by the Romans in the 1st

and 2nd centuries AD.

The seating was eventually increased to 25,000,

with the stone benches arranged in three tiers reaching up

to a height of 30 meters, and which were

divided by flights of steps.

These sections of seating were known as the kerkides.

As in any modern theater, there was a seating hierarchy,

but the steepness of the rows increased with each tier

to ensure everybody had a clear view.

Audiences entered via the uppermost level, which

was reached by sets of steps from the outside,

and walked down to their seats.

There was never a roof, but it's likely some sections

were shaded by awnings.

The stage structure was eventually

three stories, reaching meters in height,

with a highly decorated facade.

As well as entertainment such as concerts

and theatrical performances, the theater

was used for meetings, lectures, and competitions.

It was also, it seems, the venue

for spontaneous gatherings, with one such gathering

described in the New Testament Books of Acts

when the apostle Paul raised the ire

of the local silversmiths.

They were losing their income because they were casting

silver statues of Artemis, and Paul

tried to get this stopped because, for him,

this represented idol worship.

When Paul goes to Ephesus and starts preaching about Jesus,

several people start to become a little concerned

about what this means to the culture

and the religion of this city.

Demetrius, which is an important silversmith who

creates the little statues of the goddess Artemis,

is very concerned and voices his concern.

He says, if we continue to allow

Paul to preach this message, two things will happen.

First of all, he's going to kick us all out of business.

And second, he's going to undermine the wonderful temple

of Artemis and put down the religion

dedicated to this goddess, Goddess Diana.

NARRATOR: The aggrieved silversmiths, led by Demetrius,

quickly whipped up a crowd of protesters

from across the city, and everybody rushed

to the theater, also dragging in two of Paul's companions

called Gaius and Aristarchus.

Chaos ensued, and the writer of Acts

records some were shouting one, some another, for the assembly

was in confusion, and most of them

did not know why they had come together.

Paul was wisely persuaded not to enter the theater

to assist his friends, and eventually the throng

was calmed by the town clerk, who warned that charges

of rioting could be laid by the Roman authorities as, he noted,

there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.

The theater of Ephesus, an amphitheater which goes up

steeply and can seat 30,000 people,

is one of the most extraordinary archeological

remains in Turkiye.

I remember visiting there and walking up through the banks

of seats to the very top, and having my breath taken away

as I gazed down to the stage so far away on which

the dramas of Aristophanes and Sophocles

had once been performed.

And it's extraordinary to think that ancient Christians

were here and came to this very theater.

The theater was the seat of the famous riot described

in the Book of Acts, in which the silversmiths of Ephesus

rioted and demonstrated against the Christian church

because they were concerned that the Christians were

going to convert everyone in Ephesus.

NARRATOR: Despite encountering fierce resistance

from many quarters, Christianity

was slowly but surely becoming established

all around the Mediterranean, and much of this

was down to the Apostle Paul.

MARINA GARNER: Paul, single handedly,

is responsible for most of the spread of Christianity

throughout Asia Minor.

He's responsible for writing more than half of the letters

that we see in the New Testament,

for converting to Christianity several thousands of people,

and for interpreting the plan of salvation, the plan of what

Jesus even came to do in this world, an interpretation that

would become the predominant interpretation in the history

of Christianity.

It is safe to say that Christianity is what

it is today because of Paul.

NARRATOR: Since his dramatic road to Damascus conversion,

Paul had been continuously traveling even further afield.

A good part of his missionary efforts

were focused on Asia Minor.

Christians clearly prioritized

the conversion of Ephesus.

The Apostle Paul himself remained there

for several years, and then stopped there again

on his final journey back to Jerusalem, before he was

taken as a prisoner to Rome.

And we know from the descriptions

in the Book of Acts that there was a thriving Christian

church there.

NARRATOR: Paul first arrived in Ephesus in 51 AD,

for what was a brief visit to meet with the leaders

of the Jewish community.

But he left, encouraged by an open invitation to return.

Probably less than a year later,

he did so and subsequently stayed there for three years,

the longest time he spent in any place

during his three major missionary journeys

through Asia Minor and around the Mediterranean.

There was opposition from more than just the silversmiths.

But Paul still managed to build a small but dynamic

community of early believers.

And this laid the foundations for Ephesus

to become one of the major centers of Christianity

over the ensuing couple of centuries.

In 380 AD, the Edict of Theodosius

decreed Christianity as the state religion of the Roman

Empire and led eventually to all the pagan

temples in Ephesus being either repurposed as churches

or demolished.

Considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world,

the Temple of Artemis, also known as the Artemision,

was built in marble and immense in its dimensions.

In fact, at the time, it was the largest

marble structure in the world.

However, the Temple of Artemis was dismantled,

and the materials reused in the construction

of other buildings.

Construction began in 560 BC, and a key feature

was the double rows of 18 meter high columns,

eight across the front and back, and 20 along the sides.

The sheer size and grandeur of the temple

was an indication of just how much the Ephesians

revered their goddess.

Today, just one of the columns still stands,

a 14-meter-high section that was re-erected in 1973.

It rises from among the scattered remains

of the foundations and the remnants of other columns.

Only the site's immense area gives some idea

of the scale of the building.

Apparently, it was kind of like a Home Depot,

for after the time when an earthquake broke

that temple down, people would just go in there,

and they would get marble stones,

and they would get decorations and stuff,

so they could have nice things in their house as well.

And over time, the temple just vanished.

NARRATOR: And when it was originally built around 560 BC,

the temple stood right on the shoreline, which

would have surely added to the sheer majesty

of its appearance.

The Arcadian is more commonly known as Harbor Street,

as it ran from the grand theater

to the harbor front, which then was

roughly only 500 meters away.

Today's coastline can just be glimpsed in the far distance.

Visiting royalty, dignitaries, and merchants

were officially welcomed here after arriving by sea.

It too, would have been lined with shops,

and stalls, and colonnades.

In the 5th century AD, street lamps were added.

By the sixth century, visitors along harbor street

couldn't miss a great four column monument dedicated

to the four evangelists, the writers of the four

New Testament Gospels.

Situated right on the street, the monument

was a bold affirmation of the city's new allegiance

to Christianity.

Ephesus is also associated with the Apostle John, a disciple

of Jesus, who is thought to have lived the last 20

years of his life in the city and died

there somewhere around 100 AD.

The burial site is at nearby Selcuk.

And in the 6th century, a church

was built over it by the Roman Emperor Justinian I.

A Christian emperor, Justinian was... it

has to be said... a builder of great churches

across the region.

His crowning glory is the magnificent Hagia Sophia

in Istanbul, which is today a mosque rather

than a Christian church.

Known as the Basilica of St. John the Theologian,

it was built on the Ayasuluk Hill,

and construction was completed in 565.

It was a massive structure with six large domes.

And while they're long gone, the visible floor plan

attests to the sheer size of the church.

Atop the hill is a substantial fortress,

the Ayasuluk Castle, which is built

from the Byzantine period.

Its defensive walls protected the Church of St. John

as well, which in its prime was considered

one of the most holy.

And the site of the tomb of John

became a major destination for pilgrims.

Ephesus was a very important place

for the early Christian church to become established.

Firstly, it was, of course, a large, highly populated city,

and so there were people there who the early Christians

wanted to reach.

But secondly, Ephesus lay on important trade routes

connected both to the Aegean Sea commercial trade routes

and the trade routes into the hinterland.

So by being established in Ephesus,

it created the possibility of sending parties of missionaries

to new locations and expanding the Christian church.

NARRATOR: Consequently, Ephesus features quite prominently

in the New Testament.

The Book of Ephesians is most commonly

thought to be a letter from Paul

to the early Christians in the city.

But since there isn't a direct reference to the city

in its opening greeting, there's also the suggestion

that it may have been addressed more

widely to all the new churches in the region.

What is known is that Paul wrote

his first letter to the Corinthians

while he was living in Ephesus.

And towards the end he notes that, "I fought

with wild animals in Ephesus."

This was a reference to the strong opposition

he was facing in the city from various quarters.

Some biblical scholars contend that Paul even

spent time in prison in Ephesus as a result of his preaching.

It can't be proven conclusively,

but it's not impossible since he was certainly

imprisoned on many occasions during his three

missionary journeys.

The fledgling Christian community in Ephesus

is also mentioned in the second letter

to Timothy, generally attributed to Paul.

However, the most significant reference perhaps

is in its mentioning as one of a group

now referred to as the seven churches of Revelation.

All were located in what is now modern Turkiye.

And in the Book of Revelation, they're

singled out for special messages relayed

directly from Jesus Christ.

Revelation is the last book in the Bible,

and its author is now commonly known as John of Patmos,

as he was exiled on the Greek island of Patmos

when he received the prophetic vision.

It's generally agreed that the book was

written around the middle of the last

decade of the 1st Century AD.

John was exiled because he, like Paul before him,

had fallen foul of the Roman authorities

for promoting Christianity.

The sheer remoteness of the island

meant it was used a lot by the Romans

to exile political and religious dissidents.

Only around 34 square kilometers

in area with 63 kilometers of coastline, Patmos is small,

but there's still a lot to see.

Much of it related to John.

In fact, on this tiny island, there are said

to be a total of 365 churches.

There's also a remarkable variety of landscapes for such

a small area, from wind-blown hills

to calm coves, rocky outcrops to smooth beaches,

and dry, barren slopes to lush groves of olives,

citrus trees, and vines.

First settlements date back to 2000 BC,

but it was the Ionians who brought a higher level

of civilization in the 4th century,

establishing a port town now called Skala, with an acropolis

on the nearby Kastelli Hill.

Patmos developed into a trading center.

But once the Romans took control

in the 2nd century AD, it was better

known as a place of exile.

Today, the island is a popular destination for both tourists

and Christian pilgrims alike.

The harbor at Skala is a symphony of azure waters,

warm lights, yachts and fishing boats,

and dazzling white buildings, occasionally interspersed

with splashes of bright color.

When John was on Patmos, it wasn't uncommon for the exiles

to live in of the many caves on the island.

Today, the Monastery of the Apocalypse

stands over the cave where John is thought to have lived.

Over the entrance to the cave is an inscription which reads,

as dreadful as this place is, it

is nevertheless the house of God,

and this is the gate of heaven.

It's interesting that the churches were listed

in a particular order, Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira,

Sardis, Philadelphia, laodicea in a semi-circular arc, kind

of like the shape of a crown.

Perhaps it was an ancient postal route,

but they were Christians by this time in each of the seven

churches, right toward the end of the first Christian century.

And Christians in that part of the world

felt themselves considerably under threat at this time.

First of all, a Judaism was a legal religion,

which meant the Romans allowed them to practice their religion

and to not practice the religions of Rome.

It was a unique situation.

As long as Christians were identified as Jews,

they were safe from persecution by Rome.

So any time you had a dispute with a Jewish neighbor,

any time there was difficulty in the local synagogue

between Christians and Jews, there was always the threat

that the Jews would expose the Christians

as not having the legal protection that Jews had.

At the same time, there were also

a number of events that frightened

the churches in Asia Minor.

The destruction of Jerusalem suggested if the Romans could

do that with the Jews, who were a legal religion, what

would happen if they turned their attention

to the Christians?

NARRATOR: Considered a threat to the normal order of things

by both the Romans and the Jews,

the early Christians faced many dangers.

In 64 AD, for example, the Emperor Nero blamed them

for the fire that destroyed Rome, and subsequently

around 30,000 were massacred.

Ephesus was one of the largest churches in the empire,

the chief city of Asia Minor.

And so it receives the first of these letters from Jesus.

Ephesus was a banking center.

It had a harbor with lots of trade going back and forth.

So it was a fairly wealthy city.

And you can see the wealth in some of the houses

near the Celsus Library.

NARRATOR: In the message, the Ephesian Christians

are praised for their patient endurance and faithfulness, as

well as their ability to recognize and reject

the many false prophets that were

capitalizing on Christianity's growing popularity.

However, they are reprimanded for losing

the selfless love and compassion

that had been taught by Jesus.

Over the next few centuries, Christianity did indeed

thrive in Ephesus, and it became one of the faith's

major centers alongside Rome, Constantinople,

Antioch, and Alexandria.

JON PAULIEN: Ephesus is really the place where

two big branches of Christianity come together,

the branch of the apostle Paul, the branch of the apostle John.

Because both of them lived in Ephesus at different times,

Paul for about three years in the '60s of the first century,

and John for perhaps 20 years in the '70s, '80s,

and '90s of that century.

NARRATOR: The next ancient church

to be addressed by Jesus through John's vision

was in Smyrna, which today is known

as Izmia, the third-largest city in modern Turkiye.

Situated around 35 up the Aegean coast north of Ephesus,

Smyrna was another important ancient port.

The harbor made Smyrna a successful commercial center

too, with all the trappings of prosperity,

including wide paved streets, many temples, and

numerous places of leisure.

By the 7th century BC, Smyrna was a very important city

in the ancient Greek world.

But after wars and limited space for real growth,

it slowly declined to the point where during

the 4th century BC, the old site

had been completely abandoned.

Once again, though, Alexander the Great makes his mark

on the history of this region.

In a dream, he was instructed by a goddess

to rebuild Smyrna on this spot.

Construction didn't begin until the start

of the 3rd century BC and long after Alexander's death.

But once again, Smyrna prospered,

and the historian Strabo described the new city

as the most beautiful of all.

Today, the hilltop site is known as Kadifekale, which

translates as Velvet fortress, referencing

the fortifications which have been here since Roman times.

It's easy to see how this was a very strategic location.

Aside from the history, Kadifekale

provides expansive views across the Gulf

of Izmia and the modern city, with its harbor

and high rise buildings.

Look carefully, and it's possible to spot

another of Izmia's key landmarks

located near the waterfront.

The Izmia clock tower was completed in 1901

and commemorated the 25th anniversary

of the accession to the Ottoman Empire throne

by Sultan Abdul Hamid II.

It stands 25 meters tall and has

had to be rebuilt several times following earthquakes.

There are four clock faces and, set around the base,

for fountains.

What remains of ancient Smyrna's agora

is a small oasis of history within busy modern roads

and sleek office blocks.

It dates from the Roman period, rebuilt

after the original Greek structures were destroyed

by an earthquake in 178 AD.

Notable features are the Corinthian colonnade

and the vaulted chambers, which were

originally in the basements of two long stoas.

These chambers probably contain shops, and the stoas above them

were, as in Ephesus, public walkways that provided

shelter from the weather.

In the next episode of Turkiye's

astonishing antiquities, our first stop

is Pergamum, which is about 160 kilometers northwest of Sardis.

In a country full of breathtaking

archeological sites, this is one of the most spectacular.

And we will also be picking up on our tour of the seven

churches of Revelation.

Pergamum was fourth on the list,

but then we head to Thyatira, Philadelphia, and laodicea

to find out what was in their report cards.

Make sure you don't miss the fourth and final absorbing

episode of Turkiye's astonishing antiquities.

[stirring music]