The city was famous in its day for the nearby Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BCE), which has been designated one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Its many monumental buildings included the Library of Celsus and a theatre capable of holding 24,000 spectators.

Ephesus was also one of the seven churches of Asia cited in the Book of Revelation; the Gospel of John may have been written there; and it was the site of several 5th-century CE Christian Councils (see Council of Ephesus). The city was destroyed by the Goths in 263 CE. Although it was afterwards rebuilt, its importance as a commercial centre declined as the harbour was slowly silted up by the Küçükmenderes River. In 614 CE, it was partially destroyed by an earthquake.

circa 7000 BCE- 1500 CE

The history of ancient Ephesus start with the origins of a settlement in the Ephesian region which extends back to the early Chalcolithic, with evidence from Çukurici Höyük dating to the late 7th millennium BCE, and by the Early Bronze Age Ayasoluk mound served as the main settlement directly on a bay that has since silted over; during the Late Bronze Age this site was likely Apasa, capital of the Luwian kingdom of Arzawa, before Ionian colonists arrived in the 11th century BCE and integrated with local populations, remembered in myth through Androclos’s conquest.

By the mid-8th century BCE habitation expanded around Mount Panayir, eventually giving rise to the polis of Ephesus, which fell first to the Lydians under Croesus, then to the Persians in the mid-6th century BCE, before being absorbed into Alexander’s world in the late 4th century and reorganized by Lysimachos in the early 3rd. Following the testament of Attalos III in 133 BCE, Ephesus entered the Roman sphere as the capital of Asia, prospering as a harbor city, commercial hub, and pilgrimage center, though also suffering in the Mithridatic Wars with massacres of Romans in 88 BCE.

It flourished again under Augustus and his successors, achieving its peak in the 2nd century CE with monumental construction, vibrant economic life, and a notable Christian presence exemplified by Paul’s preaching, but from the mid-3rd century earthquakes, invasions, and the destruction of the Artemision precipitated decline. Later imperial patronage and Christianization under Theodosius I revived the city with basilicas and churches, while Byzantine fortifications and military organization ensured its role as a strategic center until Arab attacks in the 7th century and the gradual transfer of primacy to Smyrna in the late 9th.

Despite political decline, the site remained inhabited into the late Byzantine and Seljuk periods, conquered briefly by the Turks in 1090, restored by Byzantines in 1096, and permanently integrated into the Seljuk Aydınid principality by 1304 before falling to the Ottomans in the 15th century CE, thus marking Ephesus as a city of continuous settlement and transformation from prehistoric times through the medieval era.

circa 650 BCE

The archaeological site of Ephesus preserves one of the most complete urban landscapes of the Greco-Roman and Byzantine eastern Mediterranean. Located near the modern town of Selçuk in western Turkey, the site encompasses the civic, religious, and commercial heart of the ancient city, as well as its immediate hinterland. The remains include monumental structures such as the theatre on the slope of Mount Panayır, capable of seating more than 20,000 spectators; the marble-paved Curetes Street lined with colonnades, fountains, and honorary monuments; the Library of Celsus, a 2nd-century CE façade which functioned as both a library and a mausoleum; and the Tetragonos Agora, the city’s commercial marketplace.

To the north stood the Artemision, the sanctuary of Artemis, whose successive monumental phases culminated in the 4th-century BCE temple recognized as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The site also preserves significant Christian monuments, including the Church of Mary, venue of the Council of 431 CE, and the basilica of St. John at Ayasoluk, which reshaped the religious landscape in Late Antiquity. Excavations, begun in the late 19th century and continued by the Austrian Archaeological Institute since 1895, have uncovered a densely stratified urban sequence illustrating nearly 7,000 years of settlement, from Chalcolithic occupation at Çukuriçi Höyük to Byzantine fortifications and Seljuk-period transformations. Together these remains make Ephesus a reference point for the study of urban continuity, religious transformation, and imperial administration in western Asia Minor.

circa 700 CE- Present

The name Ephesus today designates only the archaeological site; the living settlement of the region is Selçuk, located on and around Ayasuluk Hill, approximately three kilometers from the ancient ruins. The shift in habitation began in the seventh century CE, when the decline of the harbor, recurrent seismic damage, and the need for defensible terrain prompted the concentration of population around the hill. This area became the nucleus of medieval and later settlement, marked by the construction of the Basilica of St. John and the Byzantine fortifications. Under Seljuk and Ottoman control the settlement was known as Ayasuluk, and in 1914 CE it was officially renamed Selçuk, providing the chronological marker for the modern town’s establishment.

From the perspective of archaeological continuity, Selçuk demonstrates how urban life in the region did not cease with the abandonment of the classical city but was redirected to an adjacent and more sustainable locus. The built environment of Selçuk preserves this continuity: the medieval castle incorporates earlier fortification lines, and the basilica re-uses spolia from late antique monuments, underscoring the material interdependence of the two sites.

The region is also a case study in heritage management. The archaeological site of Ephesus was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015, a recognition that formalized long-standing conservation efforts, particularly those undertaken by the Austrian Archaeological Institute since the late nineteenth century. This designation situates Ephesus within global heritage frameworks but also highlights tensions between archaeological preservation, the demands of large-scale tourism, and the economic role of Selçuk as a host community.

In addition, the modern town is linked to traditions of religious and cultural significance that overlay and extend the site’s historical identity. The House of the Virgin Mary, Ayasuluk Castle, and the Basilica of St. John serve as active pilgrimage centers and reinforce the perception of the landscape as a palimpsest of sacred topographies. The relationship between Selçuk and Ephesus is therefore not merely geographic but also interpretive, in which successive phases of use and meaning are embedded in both the archaeological record and the living practices of the present.

circa 1964 CE

The Ephesus Archaeological Museum (Efes Müzesi), situated in the town of Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey, serves as a pivotal institution for the study and preservation of the material culture of ancient Ephesus and its surrounding regions. Established in 1964, the museum was preceded by a depot created in 1929 to house artifacts from the nearby archaeological site, following changes in Turkish law that prohibited the export of antiquities. The museum's collections have been further enriched through ongoing excavations and donations, resulting in a repository of approximately 64,000 artifacts spanning from the Mycenaean period (circa 1600–1100 BCE) to the Ottoman era.

Among the museum's most renowned exhibits is the statue of Artemis of Ephesus, a monumental representation of the Anatolian mother goddess, which underscores the syncretic nature of local religious practices. This statue, along with the Beautiful Artemis discovered at the Prytaneion, exemplifies the fusion of Greek and indigenous Anatolian iconography, reflecting the cultural and religious dynamics of the region. Additionally, the museum houses a significant collection of Roman imperial busts, including those of Marcus Aurelius and Trajan, as well as a rare ivory frieze depicting the emperor, providing insight into the artistic and political milieu of the Roman Empire

The museum's holdings also encompass a diverse array of artifacts from the Terrace Houses of Ephesus, offering a glimpse into the domestic life of the city's elite during the Roman period. These artifacts include mosaics, frescoes, and inscriptions that illuminate the social and economic aspects of urban life. Furthermore, the museum's collection of coins, spanning various periods and materials, serves as a valuable resource for numismatic studies, reflecting the economic history and trade networks of ancient Ephesus.

In addition to its archaeological holdings, the museum features an ethnographic section that showcases artifacts from the Ottoman period, including textiles, pottery, and tools, thereby bridging the ancient and more recent cultural histories of the region. This integration of archaeological and ethnographic collections provides a comprehensive understanding of the continuity and transformation of cultural practices in the area.