Χρονολόγηση 2nd c. AD. Γεωγραφικός Εντοπισμός Ephesus IΔΡΥΜA ΜΕΙΖΟΝΟΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΣΜΟΥ. 1. Location

Transcript

1 Περίληψη : Hadrian s Gate marks the junction of the three directions of the processional road (Embolos, the road to Ortygia and Marble Street). Despite its name, its construction dates from the reign of Trajan (98-117). The gate had three levels and was decorated with statues of gods and members of the imperial family. After the 4th century, it was partly converted into a reservoir. Χρονολόγηση 2nd c. AD. Γεωγραφικός Εντοπισμός Ephesus 1. Location At the west end of Couretes Street (Embolos), at the point where it meets Marble Street, there is a monumental arched gate, the socalled Hadrian s Gate. It is located at an important point of the city of Ephesus and marks the junction of the three directions of the processional road (Embolos, road to Ortygia and Marble Street). 1 The gate had three levels, a central arched opening and rich architectural decorations with pillars and columns in Corinthian and Composite order. Despite its name, its construction dates from the reign of Trajan (98-117). According to researchers, the monument was destroyed possibly by an earthquake in the 3rd or 4th century, along with other structures in the city Architectural Description The ground plan of the gate displayed three parts. It comprised three separate passages, with the middle being the widest and highest. It was built mainly from white marble with grey veining, while the euthynteria (levelling course) was made from blue limestone and the foundation demonstrated the opus caementitium technique. 3 The edifice, which was m wide and its original height exceeded m, made a sharp contrast to the mere 1.68 m of the gate s depth. As for typology, the monument does not seem to strictly follow the shape of the ancient Greek propylon and the Roman arch. Nevertheless, it combined elements of both structures. From the Greek propylon it borrowed the several openings for entering the area as well as a decoration with architectural elements that make it look like a monument. From the Roman arch it borrowed the vaults and the elements of exaggeration, which make a great impression through the rich decorations. 4 The monument had three levels. Two smaller levels extended on both sides of the main opening of the first level. Columns on the north and pillars that ended in half-columns on the south side, with capitals in Composite order, which combined elements of Corinthian and Ionic order, supported the richly decorated entablature. The piles of the monuments stood on pedestals. On the second level there was an arch at the centre, which was the dominant element of the composition. The arch was surrounded by pillars in alignment with the supporting system of the first level. On the third level there was a colonnade with six supporting elements on each side. Columns on the north and pillars with engaged half-columns on the south side bore Corinthian capitals. The piles supported the horizontal recesses of the entablature, while a pedimental ridge existed in the middle. The pediment was of the Syrian type, because an arch was inscribed on the triangular surface of the pediment. 5 The architectural design of the third floor had common morphological elements with Hadrian s Gate of Athens. It is also considered that the monument of Athens was modelled on the Gate of Ephesus. 6 As regards the iconographic programme, statues of gods, members of the imperial family, even of donors, must have been set up in the openings and the intercolumniations of the gate s second and third level. The statue of Artemis of Ephesus must have been the most prominent one, as the sacred procession of the goddess passed through the gate. Possibly there were statues of Apollo and Leto as well. 7 Δημιουργήθηκε στις 11/3/2017 Σελίδα 1/5

2 After the earthquake, in the late 3rd or 4th century, the monument was restored and converted into a fountain-like structure in order to serve the new needs Chronology and Identification The construction of the gate was part of the project to embellish Marble Street, which served as a processional road. According to the stylistic characteristics of the architectural elements and the decorative motifs, it is dated from between 113/114 and 127/128. Details of the decorations are similar to details of other monuments in Ephesus, such as the Library of Celsus and the Temple of Hadrian. 9 There is little and fragmented epigraphic evidence related to the monument. 10 The dedicative inscription 11 dating from 116/117 is of particular importance; however, the name of the emperor to whom it was dedicated has not survived. For this reason, the researchers are divided over whether the Gate of Ephesus was dedicated to Emperor Trajan or Emperor Hadrian. In general, the construction of arches was directly connected with the emperor's visit to the city and the Roman idea of victory. Therefore, the arches were monuments of imperial propaganda and promotion of the power of the state par excellence. This particular monument was considered to have been dedicated to Emperor Trajan, victor of the Parthian Wars in the last years of his reign. 12 However, it is not clear whether the monument was completed before the death of the emperor (117) or during the reign of his successor Hadrian. Therefore, it is estimated that the construction of the gate had started in honour of Emperor Trajan, while later it was adjusted to the facts of imperial succession and was dedicated to the new emperor, Hadrian, either in 117 when the latter came to power or in 123, on the occasion of his visit to Ephesus. Based on the aforementioned argumentation, the monument can still be called Hadrian s Gate History of Research and Current Condition Parts of the gate came to light for the first time circa Then the architect Wilberg carried out a study and presented the first reconstruction of the monument. In 1944 design reconstructions were completed by the researchers Schottenhamel and Goeschel, though they were not published, while the subsequent excavations in the near-by structures and the surrounding area revealed architectural members belonging to the gate. However, in the course of time the visitors of the archaeological site of Ephesus paid less attention to the monument, due to its incomplete condition. For that reason, it was deemed necessary that it be completed and restored so that it could become as distinguished as the other monuments of Ephesus. In 1986 Thur completed the theoretical restoration of the structure and in the following year Hueber started the partial repair of monuments of the so-called Low Embolos area. Thur was responsible for the rebuilding of the gate since The columns and the capitals of the first level were completed and positioned in 1994, while the partial restoration was completed when the central arch was put in place For the exact position of the monument, see Thür, H., Das Hadrianstor in Ephesos (Forschungen in Ephesos 11.1, Wien 1989), pp , pl Alzinger, W., Die Ruinen von Ephesos (Berlin Wien 1974), pp ; Scherrer, P. (edit.), Ephesus. The New Guide (Vienna 2000), pp Regarding the buildingʹs technique, see Thür, H., Das Hadrianstor in Ephesos (Forschungen in Ephesos 11.1, Wien 1989), pp About this theme, see Thür, H., Das Hadrianstor in Ephesos (Forschungen in Ephesos 11.1, Wien 1989), pp Δημιουργήθηκε στις 11/3/2017 Σελίδα 2/5

3 5. On a detailed description of the architecture and decoration of the monument, see Thür, H., Das Hadrianstor in Ephesos (Forschungen in Ephesos 11.1, Wien 1989), pp , In general, for the arcuated pediment or Syrian pediment, see Ginouvés, R., Dictionnaire Méthodique de l Architecture Grecque et Romaine II (Roma 1992), p. 128, pl Regarding the comparison between the two monuments, see Thür, H., Das Hadrianstor in Ephesos (Forschungen in Ephesos 11.1, Wien 1989), pp See also Ward Perkins, J.B., Roman Imperial Architecture (London New Haven 1994), p For the assumptions concerning the iconographical motifs of the monument, see Thür, H., Das Hadrianstor in Ephesos (Forschungen in Ephesos 11.1, Wien 1989), pp , 134. According to an inscription, Dimeas, who was a Christian, removed the statue of Artemis from the monument and added the sympol of cross. In addition, the cross was also carved on the arch. Thus, the structure was converted into a Christian monument; see Thür, H., Das Hadrianstor in Ephesos (Forschungen in Ephesos 11.1, Wien 1989), pp About the restorations and interventions in the monument in Late Antiquity, see Thür, H., Das Hadrianstor in Ephesos (Forschungen in Ephesos 11.1, Wien 1989), pp See Thür, H., Das Hadrianstor in Ephesos (Forschungen in Ephesos 11.1, Wien 1989), pp In detail about the inscriptions related to the monument, see Thür, H., Das Hadrianstor in Ephesos (Forschungen in Ephesos 11.1, Wien 1989), pp See Thür, H., Das Hadrianstor in Ephesos (Forschungen in Ephesos 11.1, Wien 1989), pp Trajan left Rome in 113 and toured the cities of Asia Minor. It is likely that towards the late of the same year he visited Ephesus, the metropolis of Asia. One year later (114), he arrived in Antioch on the Orontes. The emperor possibly died in 117 in Selinus of Cilicia. See Thur, H., Das Hadrianstor in Ephesos (Forschungen in Ephesos 11.1, Wien 1989), p In detail about the matter, see Thür, H., Das Hadrianstor in Ephesos (Forschungen in Ephesos 11.1, Wien 1989), pp See Thür, H., Das Hadrianstor in Ephesos (Forschungen in Ephesos 11.1, Wien 1989), pp ; Wiplinger, G. Wlach, G., Ephesus. 100 Years of Austrian Research (Vienna Cologne Weimar 1996), pp Βιβλιογραφία : Scherrer, P. (ed.), Ephesus. The New Guide, Istanbul 2000 Hueber F., Ephesos. Gebaute Geschichte, Mainz am Rhein 1997, Sonderhefte der Antiken Welt Wiplinger G., Wlach G., Ephesus. 100 Years of Austrian Research, Vienna Cologne Weimar 1996 Alzinger W., Die Ruinen von Ephesos, Wien 1974 Thür Η., Das Hadrianstor in Ephesos, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien 1990, Forschungen in Ephesos 11.1 Ward-Perkins J.B., Roman Imperial Architecture., London New Haven 1981 Δικτυογραφία : Ephesos- Gesamtplan Δημιουργήθηκε στις 11/3/2017 Σελίδα 3/5

4 Ephesos Kuretenstraße Ephesos, Plan Γλωσσάριo : arch, the A curved structure, as a masonry, that covers openings in the stonework and is capable to supports the weight of material over an open space, as in a bridge, doorway, etc. It is often used as a decorative element. capital The uppermost part of a column or pillar crowning the shaft and supporting the entablature. The decoration of the capital characteristizes the ancient greek orders of architecture. In Doric order the capitals are decorated with abacus and echinus, in Ionic with spiral scrolls (volutes), while the corinthian capitals are composed of small corner volutes and a basket-shaped body decorated with rows of acanthus leaves. composite order It is a mixed order, developed in the late roman imperial period. Its capital combines the Corinthian acanthus leaf decoration with volutes from the Ionic Order. It It may have unfluted shaft, while the details of the entablature resemble those of the Corinthian Order. corinthian order The most elaborate of the ancient greek architectural orders. It was developed in the 4th century BC in Greece and it was extensively used in Roman architecture. It is similar to the Ionic order. Its capitals being four-sided and composed of a basket-shaped body decorated with volumes and rows of acanthus leaves. entablature, the The upper part of the classical order, that rests on the columns, it consists of the architrave, frieze and cornice. ionic order, the An architectural order devised in Ionia and developed in Asia Minor and the Greek islands in the 6th century BC. Its columns have elaborately moulded bases, fluted shafts (with fillets, ending in fillets), and volute capitals. The entablature consists of an three-fasciae archirave, a continuous frieze, usually richly decorated with reliefs, and a cornice. The Ionic order was more elaborate in dimentions, comparing with the Doric. opus caementicium Roman technique of constructing structures using concrete. It was spread in the east part of the Roman Empire after 50 BC. pediment, the The triangular structure, over a building façade, between the horizontal entablature and the sloping roof, often decorated with sculptures, reliefs or painted figures. pillar Pier of square or rectangular cross-section. propylon Monumental architectural entrance, most often to a sanctuary or a building complex. Πηγές Epigraphical evidence 1. IvE II 329, 3, (116/117 AD) ] νωι Καίσ [αρι 2. IvE II 422, A, (116/117 AD) [τη]ς πλατείας της από του προπύλο[υ [.. γρ]α[μ]ματεύοντος του [δήμου 3. IvE VII, 2, 4133, 4143, (7th c. AD) Δημιουργήθηκε στις 11/3/2017 Σελίδα 4/5

5 + [ ca. 40 ] ΣΕΒ [ ca. 30 ] προ]πυ[λ 4. IvE IV 1192, 3, ( AD) [Χρισ]τια[νών] βασιλέων και πρασίνων [πο]λλά τα έτη Δημιουργήθηκε στις 11/3/2017 Σελίδα 5/5