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 celsus library by cbeaujean
to make the tomb monument possible inside ephesus,they had to change the monument into library!(no sooner said than done!)
marble sarcophagus was found in ...1904
because of sun,best pics of library are tooken in the morning. Leave a Comment
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 THE LIBRARY OF CELSUS by whitecliff62Leave a Comment Address: To the south of Marble Road
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This library is one of the most beautiful structures in Ephesus. It was built in the 2nd century A.D. It was a monumental tomb for Gaius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus who was the governor of the province of Asia; from his son Aquila. The grave of Celsus was beneath the ground floor, across the entrance and there was a statue of Athena over it.
The facade is highly ornamented on two levels, and there are three main portals. Over the portals were columns and statues arranged in niches. These statues were female figures representing the virtues wisdom, fate and intelligence. Niches on the interior of the building were designed to hold books. The tomb of Celsus was placed in a crypt below the central large niche.
The capacity of the library was more than 12,000 scrolls. It was the third richest library in ancient times after the Alexandra and Pergamum. The library was restored with the aid of the Austrian Archaeological Institute.
Directions: You may watch my high resolution photo of Ephesus on the Google Earth according to the following coordinates 37° 56' 20.80" N 27° 20' 27.29" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio Celsus Library.Website: http://www.ephesusguide.com/celsus.html
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 Approaching the Celcus library
from Curetes street by fachd, 4 more photos
It was built in the 2nd century by Julius Aquila for his father Celsus Polemaeanus as a monumental tomb. Almost the whole remnant is built from marble.
The library contained 12,000 hand written scrolls probably from papyrus paper rolls, which most likely they imported from Egypt.
Looking from the front is a two storey buildings. Inside the building I can only see a single large hall.
Outside between the two marble columns is a fake statue of Sophia who is the goddess of wisdom, the statue of Arete who represents virtue and two others Episteme and Ennoia represent destiny and knowledge respectively. They say the original is in Vienna or the British museum.
The photos is taken from the front and inside the library Directions: The Celcus Library is at the foot of Curetes Street
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 Library of Celsus, up
close by guellLeave a Comment
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 THE LIBRARY OF CELSUS by whitecliff62Leave a Comment Address: Located to the south of Marble Road
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 The Library of Celsus by Paul2001Leave a Comment
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Celsus library is the prominent and most beautiful building on the site of Ephesus. The Library was erected in110 AD by Consul Gaius Julius Aquila for his father Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, formerly Roman Consul and governor of the province Asia minor, now Turkey. The library was completed in 135 AD by his heirs and Celsus buried in a marble sarcophagus. During the first diggings, in 1904, it was found that it contained a lead sarcophagus with Celsus skeleton. The front of the library has been reconstructed and gives a unique example of what were libraries in the Roman Empire. It could house 12,000 scrolls. It was the third richest library of the Empire after Alexandria and Pergame
For more on Celsus library, you can read the article in Wikipedia.
The first photo shows Celsus library from the square in front.
The second photo shows Celsus library from half way on Curetes Street.
Note that the monument is often wrongly named “Celsius library”. This is most probably a confusion with the name of Magnus Nicolai Celsius (1621-1679), who established the Centigrade scale of temperature, also named Celsius scale. Leave a Comment
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The most beautiful facade in Ephesus is the Library of Celsius built between 117-135 AD as a tomb and monument for Celsius Polemaeanus the governor of Rome's Asian province between 107-114 AD by his son Galius Julius Aquila. Burial within city limits was only allowed as part of a public building, allowing Galius to honor his father as well as lend status to himself by private benefaction, a Roman prerequisite for public office and prestige. Celsius was buried in a white marble tomb within the lower level of the building.
The architect is not known, but his work lends him credit. The Library was built in a narrow space between two other buildings. To give the impression of greater size and majesty, the central columns are larger than the side columns and the entire building was built on a slope downward, an optical illusion. The columns for the second level are shorter than those for the first. Many of these contrivances can be seen on the accompanying images.
The library faces east to allow for greater light within as recommended by Vitruvius, Rome's most famous early architect. Nine steps lead to the facade which features four statues said to reflect the virtues of Celsius (goodness - Arete, Ennoia - thought, Episteme - knowledge, and Sophia - wisdom ). The original statues were removed by early Austrian architects to Vienna and only copies remain.
While only the facade remains today, excavations suggest an interesting inner architecture, two outside walls separated by a meter wide space designed to protect the scrolls from moisture, mildew, and insects. The Library is said to have upwards of 12,000 scrolls making it the third largest library of its time.
The library would be burned and destroyed by the Goth invasion of 262 AD, leaving the facade alone undamaged. It was restored around 400 but totally destroyed including the famed facade in a 10th C earthquake. Restoration began in the 1970's by a Turkish team of architects funded by Austria. The facade is held together today by a hidden steel and concrete structure said to be earthquake resistant. One need not pass through the three famed doors to knowledge - there is only the front of the building. Leave a Comment
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Man size statues of goddess stand in the four niches of the ground level of Celsus library.
First from left (first photo): Arèti, symbol of virtue.
Second from left (second photo): Sophia, symbol of wisdom
Second from right: Episteme, symbol of knowledge
First from right: Ennoia, symbol of faith
The originals are on display in Vienna museum. Copies have been installed in the niches. Leave a Comment
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