Excavation Budget and Key Supporters
The excavation budget, approximately 9 million Austrian shillings, is sourced from government funds, funds promoting scientific research, and donations by private sponsors. Since 1970, the Society of the Friends of Ephesos has been a major patron, contributing significantly to Austrian excavations. Notable projects, like reconstructing the Library of Celsus Sustaining Ephesos, were realized with support from the firm Kallingerbau. Recent major endeavors, such as roofing and conserving the “Hanghäuser” or restoring the Great Theatre, were made possible through active sponsor support.
History and Monuments of Ephesos
The history of Ephesos, located at the silted-up harbor at the mouth of the Kaystros (Küçük Menderes), traces back to the Neolithic period, reaching its zenith in Greco-Roman antiquity. The city experienced a final flourishing during the Selçuk dynasty of Aydinogullari in the 15th century A.D.
The central settlement area, Ayasoluk, dates back to the 3rd millennium B.C., with the modern town of Selçuk extending southward. The Venetian-Ottoman citadel on Ayasoluk’s highest point Customized Guided Tour, visible from afar, is the latest in a series of fortifications, the oldest from the Bronze Age. This site likely corresponds to Apasa, mentioned in Hittite war reports from the middle of the 2nd millennium B.C. While only a few individual graves remain from the Mycenaean trading site and Greek settlement, the first stone-built constructions emerged in the 8th century B.C. in an earlier sanctuary on a western spur of Ayasoluk, bordering the coast at that time. The Lydian king Croesus, known for his wealth, financially supported the construction of the Artemision, the largest temple of antiquity, in the 6th century B.C. This temple remained a crucial economic element of the city until late antiquity due to its function, extensive landed property, and right of asylum.
