An Analysis Of Ephesus’s Urban Layout Under The Roman Empire

The emergence and development of a city is a historical process and a product of the development of human society to a certain stage.In the 2nd century BC,Rome set up the province of Asia and ruled Asia Minor.Ephesus became the largest city in Asia province during the Roman Empire by virtue of its superior geographical location and abundant resources.During the ruling of Rome,the rulers built a large number of buildings in Ephesus one after another.Ephesus also grew and prospered.Ephesus has the strongest Roman characteristics.Typical Roman city elements are commonly found in the city layout of Ephesus,such as municipal squares,temples,bathing beaches,theaters,and arenas.This article takes the city layout of Ephesus as the research object,and takes the written materials and archaeological achievements as the main basis to investigate the development and changes of Ephesus during Roman rule and its influencing factors.In addition to the introduction,the full text consists of five chapters.The first chapter introduces the geographical environment of Ephesus and combs the early history of the city’s development.The chapters from 2 to 4 respectively discuss the urban layout of Ephesus during Roman rule from the aspects of public space,religious space,street system and water supply and drainage system.The fifth chapter explores the factors that affect the layout of Ephesus city and the important position of Ephesus city in Asia Minor.Ephesus’ s advantageous geographical conditions enabled Roman rulers to invest heavily in the city construction of Ephesus.The rule and management of the Roman Empire provided an important guarantee for the city’s development.Ephesus’ s port trade provided a material basis.The convenient transportation was the facility guarantee for the city’s development and foreign exchanges.Emperor worship during Roman rule played a positive role in promoting the city’s status.In short,many factors contributed to the sustained development and prosperity of Ephesus during Roman rule,making it a well-deserved “light of Asia”.