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frieze in Temple of Hadrian, Ephesus

The Temple of Hadrian stands on Curetes Street in the ruined ancient city of Ephesus, near Selcuk in modern day Turkey.

 

It was built before AD138 by Publius Quintilius. The Roman Emperor Hadrian had visited Ephesus in AD128.

 

The interior of the temple is decorated with four marble friezes running along the upper edge of the walls. (These are copies: the originals are in Ephesus Museum in Selcuk.) The first three friezes depict scenes relating to the foundation of Ephesus, while the fourth (seen here) was added in the fourth century AD when the temple was rebuilt and shows Emperor Theodosius with his family, surrounded by gods, including Apollo, Artemis, Athena and Selene. This is interesting because Theodosius was Christian and outlawed the worship of pagan gods.

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Uploaded on February 21, 2011
Taken on March 22, 2009