Harbour Street, Ephesus

Ephesus was an ancient Greek and major Roman city, on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present-day Selcuk, within the Province of Izmir. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek Period. In Roman Times, circa the 1st Century BC, Ephesus had a population of more than 250,000 citizens, making it the second largest city in the world. Destroyed by the Goths in 263 AD, Ephesus still remained an important city during the Byzantine period. Harbor Street is stretching between the Theater and the Ancient Harbor. Called also Arcadiana, the Street was renovated by Byzantine Emperor Arcadius circa 395-408 AD. The Street, 500 meters long and eleven meters wide, was flanked by covered porticos with mosaic floors and shops situated on both sides. Built originally in the 1st Century BC, it was the main entrance way to Ephesus, leading to the city from the harbor. Harbor Street, one of the few streets in Antiquity that were lit with lamps, had on both ends arched gates, the foundations of which were found. In the 5th Century AD, statues of Christian evangelists were situated in its midst.