http://architecture.about.com/od/ancientromanempire/ss/ephesus.htm ABOUT.COM In the land that is now Turkey, a wide marble road slopes down to one of the largest libraries of the ancient world. Between 12,000 and 15,000 scrolls were housed in the grand Library of Celsus in the Roman city, Ephesus. Designed by the Roman architect Vitruoya, the library was built in memory of Celsus Polemeanus, who was a Roman senator, General Governor of the Province of Asia, and a great lover of books. Celsus' son, Julius Aquila, began the construction in 110 AD. The library was completed by Julius Aquila's successors in 135 AD. Celsus was buried beneath the ground floor in a lead container inside a marble tomb. A corridor behind the north wall leads to the vault. The Library of Celsus was remarkable not only for its size and its beauty, but also for its clever and efficient design. ================= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Celsus Wikipedia The library of Celsus is an ancient building in Ephesus, Anatolia, now part of Turkey. It was built in honor of Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus (completed in 135 AD) by Celsus’ son, Gaius Julius Aquila (consul, 110 AD). Celsus had been consul in 92 AD, governor of Asia in 115 AD, and a wealthy and popular local citizen. The library was built to store 12,000 scrolls and to serve as a monumental tomb for Celsus. It was unusual to be buried within a library or even within city limits, so this was a special honor for Celsus. Contents History The building is important as one of few remaining examples of an ancient Roman-influenced library. It also shows that public libraries were built not only in Rome itself but throughout the Roman Empire. In a massive restoration which is considered to be very true to the historic building, the front façade was rebuilt and now serves as a prime example of Roman public architecture. (The Library of Celsus may serve as a model for other, less well preserved, libraries elsewhere in the Empire, for it is possible that literary collections were housed in other Roman cities for the benefit of students as well as traveling Romans. Such libraries may also have housed collections of local documents of interest if they were not destroyed during the Roman conquest. The edifice is a single hall that faces east toward the morning sun, as Vitruvius advised, to benefit early risers. The library is built on a platform, with nine steps the full width of the building leading up to three front entrances. The center entrance is larger than the two flanking ones, and all are adorned with windows above them. Flanking the entrances are four pairs of Ionic columns elevated on pedestals. A set of Corinthian columns stands directly above the first set, adding to the height of the building. The pairs of columns on the second level frame the windows as the columns on the first level frame the doors, and they also create niches that would have housed statues. It is thought there may have been a third set of columns, but today there are only two registers of columns. This type of facade with inset frames and niches for statues is similar to that found in ancient Greek theaters (the stage building behind the orchestra, or skene) and is thus characterized as "scenographic". The building's other sides are irrelevant architecturally because the library was flanked by buildings. The inside of the building, not fully restored, was a single rectangular room (measuring 17x11 m) with a central apse framed by a large arch at the far wall. A statue of Celsus or of Athena, goddess of truth, stood in the apse[1], and Celsus' tomb lay directly below in a vaulted chamber. Along the other three sides were rectangular recesses that held cupboards and shelves for the 12,000 scrolls. Celsus was said to have left a legacy of 25,000 denarii to pay for the library's reading material. The second and third levels could be reached via a set of stairs built into the walls to add support to the building and had similar niches for scrolls. The ceiling was flat, and there may have been a central square oculus to provide more light. The style of the library, with its ornate, balanced, well-planned façade, reflects the Greek influence on Roman architecture. The building materials, brick, concrete, and mortared rubble, signify the new materials that came into use in the Roman Empire around the 2nd century BC. The building's façade was depicted on the reverse of the Turkish 20 million lira banknote of 2001-2005[2] and of the 20 new lira banknote of 2005-2009.[3] ================== http://www.ephesus.us/ephesus/celsuslibrary.htm Ephesus web site This library is one of the most beautiful structures in Ephesus. It was built in 117 A.D. It was a monumental tomb for Gaius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, the governor of the province of Asia; from his son Galius Julius Aquila. The grave of Celsus was beneath the ground floor, across the entrance and there was a statue of Athena over it. Because Athena was the goddess of the wisdom. The scrolls of the manuscripts were kept in cupboards in niches on the walls. There were double walls behind the bookcases to prevent the them from the extremes of temperature and humidity. 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 facade of the library has two-stories, with Corinthian style columns on the ground floor and three entrances to the building. There is three windows openings in the upper story. They used an optical trick that the columns at the sides of the facade are shorter than those at the center, giving the illusion of the building being greater in size. The statues in the niches of the columns today are the copies of the originals. The statues symbolize wisdom (Sophia), knowledge (Episteme), intelligence (Ennoia) and valor (Arete). These are the virtues of Celsus. The library was restored with the aid of the Austrian Archaeological Institute and the originals of the statues were taken to Ephesus Museum in Vienna in 1910. There was an auditorium ,which was for lectures or presentations between the library and the Marble Road, was built during the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. =================== http://www.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/ephesus-library-of-celsus.htm Sacred Destinations web site The Library of Celsus is a Roman mausoleum and library built in the early 2nd century AD. As one of the most beautifully reconstructed buildings in Ephesus, it has become an icon of the ancient city. History The Library of Celsus was comissioned by the Consul Julius Aquila as a mausoleum for his father, Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, Roman governor of the Asian Provinces. It may be that Celsus was granted heroic honors, which would furthur justify the expense. The monument was constructed between 110 and 135 AD, after which Celsus was buried in a niche on the right side of the back wall. With a few centuries of its construction a fire destroyed the reading room and the library fell into disuse. Around 400 AD, the courtyard below the exterior steps was converted into a pool. The facade collapsed in an earthquake in the 10th century. The Library of Celsus was raised from the rubble to its present splendid state by F. Hueber of the Austrian Archaeological Institute between 1970 and 1978. What to See Located next to the south gate, the Library of Celsus is 21m wide and over 16m high with a 2.4m-deep portico. The mausoleum-library originally had three stories, with galleries in the upper two stories. Scrolls and codexes were stored in the niches, dispensed by a librarian. In total, 30 bookcases held about 12,000 scrolls. The reading room faced east in order to take advantage of the best light. The lower niches of the facade contain four statues, which are through to represent Wisdom, Knowledge, Destiny, and Intelligence. These are replicas of the originals that are now in Vienna. Latin and Greek inscriptions can be seen among the ruins of the library. Quick Facts Names: Celsus Library; Library of Celsus Type of site: Mausoleum Faith: Roman Status: Ruins Dates: 110-35 AD Architecture: Classical ================== http://www.kusadasi.biz/ephesus/library.html kusadasi.biz HAS 360 DEGREE TOURS OF THE VARIOUS PLACES Ephesus Library In 92 A.D. , Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus was a consul in Rome, and was in charge of all public buildings. Between either 105-106 or 106-107 A.D. he was the proconsul (governor) of the Asian province, the capital of which was Ephesus, when he died in 114 A.D. at the age of seventy his son Tiberius Julius Aquila, built the library as a heroon (mausoleum) for his father. It is assumed that the construction of the library was completed in 117. The building is made of very good marble and decorated with figures of Eros, Nike, rosettes and garlands in relief . The building reflects the characteristics of the age of Emperor Hadrian. The facade is two-storeyed. On the lower storey, the columns with Corinthian capitals are placed on a 21 meters long podium reached by nine steps. The columns are arranged in pairs and between them there are three doors with richly decorated frames. The door in the middle is wider and taller than the other two. Ephesus Library Ephesus Library Statues seen in the niches between the doors, are copies of the originals which were taken to Vienna during the years when the library was being excavated. As the inscriptions on the bases indicate, the statues symbolized the WISDOM (SOPHIA), KNOWLEDGE (EPISTEME), INTELLIGENCE (ENNOIA) and VIRTUE (ARETE) of Celsus. ======================== http://www.focusmm.com/aceph_26.htm FOCUS MEDITERRANEAN web site THE CELSUS LIBRARY (Ephesus) undefinedThe Celsus Library is one of the most spectacular buildings in Ephesus. It was built by the Council Gaius Julius Aquila in 110 A.D. as a memorial for his father Julius Celsus Polemeanus who was council before him and died at the age of 70. The construction was completed by Gaius' successors in 135 A.D. He had donated 25000 dinars for the completion and maintenance of the monumental library before his death. His father's tomb is kept in a specially made room under the ground floor. The body was kept in a lead container inside a marble tomb. This room can be accessed through a corridor connected to a gate behind the north wall. Mainly the front monumental wall and the gates were renovated by archaeologist W.Strocka and architect/restorer F.Hueber between 1970 and 1978. The entry to the library was through the 9 step stone stairs from the Curettes Road and reaching to the podium which was base to the four double columns supporting the building. These columns stand on square shaped pedestals. Right behind the columns after a narrow walk-way there were three gates. The middle one is wider and higher than the others. There were large windows just above the doors. Also in the second floor there were three windows on the front side wall to let the light go into the building. The Celsus Library was two storey from the front face but the main reading area was located inside the building on a large single floor with a very high ceiling. The reading area was surrounded by a three storey storage place over-looking this main saloon. The hand-written books were handed to the readers to read in the main reading room by library officials. At one stage there estimated to be 12000 books in the library. Obviously, it was one of the largest library collections of the antiquity. undefined The library building was surrounded by second set of walls from outside to keep the humidity and the temperature variations outside. The internal dimensions of the library was 11 x 16.7 m. The statue of Celsus which was found during the excavations are on display in Istanbul Archaeology Museum today. The library was burned down totally approximately in the 3rd century. The front wall was not destroyed totally. It was restored after the disaster and a small pool was constructed right in front of the building. These restorations were done roughly in the 4th century. The sculptured monumental walls dedicated to the memory of the victory gained against the Parts by Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verius , standing in this pool are on exhibition in the Museum of Vienna today. During the late Roman ages there was an Auditorium used by politicians, artists, public speakers built in front of the library next to the road. There are no remains of this structure today ------------------ http://allisonwucher.com/wordpress/2010/03/06/turkey-tour-day-one-ephesus/ The Travels of Allyson Wucher An excellent array of pictures of the entire location. -------------- http://www.grand-tour.org/ephesus.htm The Grand Tour Excellent story and photos.