"Gate of Augustus and Commercial Agora" Top 5 Page for this destination Ephesus Things to Do Tip by nicolaitan

As one of the greatest seaports of the ancient world, Ephesus was of course a major commercial center. The square agora adjacent the road from the harbor was the hub of commercial activity, approximately 110 ft on all sides and surrounded by stores and shops. The site was first laid out about 280 BC in the rule of Lysimachos but the current layout, including the massive corinthian columns, date to the time of Emperor Caracalla ( 211-17 AD ). In the 4th C marble columns replaced the granite first used. A water clock and sundial as yet undiscovered were in the center of the marketplace as most of the site is as yet unexcavated.

Of the three known entrances, only the Gate of Augustus stands. Inscriptions indicate this three-arched gate was built by Mazeus and Mithridates, two slaves freed by Augustus who became very prosperous businessmen and chose to thank and honor their benefactor. An inscription in bronze letters describes Augustus as divine ( descended from the deified Julius Caesar ) and lists his many political positions and honors. Also mentioned are his wife Livia and their daughter Julia and son in law Agrippa. The reconstruction dates to 1988 and missing parts are filled with concrete with a plaster surface. Like the adjacent library of Celsius, this gate is considered earthquake - proof.

The shared courtyard between the library and the Augustus Gate may well have been a choice spot for those who chose to loiter. An incription allegedly written on the gate takes displeasure with those who urinated on it.