In Ephesus, the Catholic bishops got together in 412 or some close date and decided what was *really* gospel and what wasn't. Here is where they decided, some 400 years after the fact that Mary was the mother of God, i.e., that Jesus was not just the son of God but God himself incarnate. Ephesus has a long earlier history as well, having been colonized by the Athenians in 1100BC.
Ephesus is huge. It was the major city in the region back in Roman times, with a population of over 200,000. Today, the population is about the same, but they all come and go in buses and no one stays the night.
The remarkably well restored Roman site of Ephesus is most notable for its library.
What they don't tell you about is the crowds.
We were warned by some of our fellow guests at the Villa Karnak and arrived early, able thereby to beat the crowds at least in the beginning. We were also advised to pay the extra entrance fee to see the Roman houses that had been both ruined and then preserved by active volcanoes. This was good advice, both because it was a good escape from the Disneyland throngs, and because it was a rare chance to see how ordinary (rich) people lived in ancient times.
