Ephesus - The Aegean Coast - Cities and Towns in Turkey - Turkey - Home
The Gymnasium of Vedius |
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The Gymnasium of
Vedius was built in 150 A.D. by Vedius Antonius, a wealthy citizen of
Ephesus. According to an inscription discovered during excavations on
the eastern facade of the building, the gymnasium was dedicated to
Artemis and the consul Antonius lfius. The most important of the
chambers opening off the palaestra contained a cult statue of the
emperor. A large number of statues were found, among them two sculptures
of the river god now exhibited in the Izmir Archaeological Museum. The
latrine in the gymnasium is in a very good state of preservation.
The Greek word
gymnos
means
naked.
Since participants would train and compete in the nude, the term
gymnasion
(Latin
gymnasium)
was appropriate. This gymnasia, like most others, probably contained an
open courtyard called a palestra, which was surrounded by a colonnade.
In some ways there was an overlap between the functions of a gymnasium
and a bath. The gymnasia were also places of learning, where both boys
and girls would learn to read and write in the rooms surrounding the
palestra. |
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CLICK HERE for
additional photos of Ephesus
and
HERE for photos of some of the intricate
detail work to be found in Ephesus.
| It is best to visit Ephesus with a good
guide - especially if it is your first visit. Although there are many licensed,
official tour guides, I believe that Can (John) Yigit is one of the best. One of
the main reasons is, not only does he love this place, but he worked here beside
the archeologists when he was in college. And, is very personable. His English
is excellent and he makes the place come alive with his narrative. Contact
information is as follows: Can Yigit Gsm +90 532. 426 63 35 Tel +90 256. 612 83 30 email: guidecan68@yahoo.com P.O. Box 152 09400 Kusadasi / Aydin / Turkey Here
are a couple of comments about John. |
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