Ephesus Museum
Ephesus Museum features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Ephesus. Give it roughly ~60 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type museum
- Suggested visit ~60 min
- Ephesus Ephesus guide
About Ephesus Museum
Selçuk's archaeological museum, home to two celebrated statues of Artemis of Ephesus, gladiator tombstones and some 64,000 finds gathered from the ancient city just down the hill.
The Ephesus Archaeological Museum in Selçuk opened in 1964 and was enlarged in 1976. It holds about 64,000 objects from the Hellenistic, Roman and Early Christian periods, displayed across eight halls that include the Hall of Artemis, the Terrace Houses Findings Hall, the Fountain Findings Hall, the Grave Findings Hall and the Emperor Cults Hall. The museum closed at the end of 2012 and reopened in November 2014 after a major renovation.
Its best-known objects are two statues of Artemis of Ephesus, the Colossal Artemis of the first century AD and the Beautiful Artemis of the second, both found in the Prytaneion during the 1956 excavations. Other highlights include a bronze statuette of Eros riding a dolphin, a marble head of Socrates, and tombstones from the Ephesus gladiator graveyard, found beside the Sacred Way in 1993. The famous bronze athlete found at Ephesus is held in Vienna, not here.
Did you know? The rows of oval bumps on the Artemis statues have no agreed meaning; scholars have read them as breasts, as eggs, or as bull testicles, each interpretation tying the goddess to fertility.
How long is a visit to Ephesus Museum?
Set aside roughly ~60 min for Ephesus Museum. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Ephesus Museum worth your time?
Ephesus Museum is among the 18 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Ephesus, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Ephesus
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Ephesus Museum and read more:
Day 2 of the Ephesus in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Ephesus Museum
Preview the Ephesus tour free in the Gingerguide app.