Photos

This is a detail of columns of the Celsus Library, one of the most beautiful structures in Ephesus. It was built in 117 A.D. as a monumental tomb for Gaius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, the governor of the province of Asia and, with a capacity in excess of 12,000 scrolls, was the third most significant library of its time.

The library was built on a narrow lot between existing buildings. Yet, the design of the library creates the effect of monumental size. At the entrance is a 21-meter wide courtyard paved in marble. Nine wide marble steps lead up to a two-story gallery. Curved and triangular pediments are supported by a double-decker layer of paired columns. The center columns have larger capitals and rafters than those on the end. This gives the illusion that the columns are farther apart than they really are. Adding to the illusion, the podium beneath the columns slopes slightly down at the edges.