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Architectural History in Ephesus, Priene, and Didyma

The ancient site of Ephesus was once one of the three largest cities in the Roman Empire. The city was important as a political, economic, and religious center in the Roman Empire, and today, the site is significant to architects and historians who are interested in its Greek, Roman, and Byzantine past. Along with Ephesus, Professor Louis Nelson's Architectures of the Mediterranean class visited Priene and Didyma, two other historically important sites along the Ionian Coast of Turkey, to better understand urban environments from these periods.

The ancient and historically significant city of Ephesus existed during Greek, Roman, and Byzantine times.
Professor Nelson lectures to SAS students about the architecture in the ancient city.
An elaborate tile mosaic was discovered in one of Ephesus' tiered houses.
Students question Professor Nelson about the Library of Celsus.
The Library of Celsus has been carefully reconstructed from original pieces. Roman Senator Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus is buried beneath the library.
Semih Adiyaman, our Turkish guide, explains the historical significance of an amphitheater in Ephesus.
Karla Bensen, a Sports Medicine major at California Polytechnic State University, spends time with classmates on the way to the ruins of Priene.
Cassie Kliesch, an Education major at Montclair State University, and other students walk through the ruins of Priene near the Ionian Coast of Turkey.
The Temple of Athena in Priene was founded by Alexander the Great.
SAS students stand on fallen columns to listen to Professor Nelson lecture about the Temple of Athena.
Audrey Wiedemann, an Education major at St. Louis University, sketches architecture in the Temple of Apollo at Didyma.
Carmen Chan, a Theatre Arts major at New York University, draws a column in the Temple of Apollo.
The Architectures of the Mediterranean class gathers for a picture in front of the amphitheater of Ephesus.
Topics
  • Culture
  • Education
  • History

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