Curetes Street, Ephesus

Ephesus was an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city, on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present-day Selcuk, within the Province of Izmir, Turkey. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek Period. In Roman Times, circa the 1st Century BC, Ephesus had a population of more than 250,000 citizens, making it the second largest city in the world. Destroyed by the Goths in 263 AD, Ephesus still remained an important city during the Byzantine period. Curetes Street is one of the three main streets of Ephesus. It is the main thoroughfare between the Celsus Library and the Hercules Gate. Named after the Curetes priests, its current appearance is from the 4th Century AD. Statues of prominent Ephesus citizens stood on both sides of the street, in front of stores. Column bases with the names of priests (Curetes) inscribed on them were found there, giving this street, stretching from northwest to southeast, its name. The street was badly damaged by earthquakes.