Memmius Monument

Memmius Monument: History of Conflict in Ephesus
The Memmius Monument is a victory arch dedicated to the Roman Dictator Sulla, who liberated Ephesus from the Pontic Empire in 84 BC. In 87 BC, the king of Pontus led a revolt against the Roman Empire, tired of the tax burden Rome was placing on the cities and towns of Asia Minor; they sought to claim “Asia for the Asiatic”. The Pontic armies conquered many cities throughout Asia Minor, killing over 80,000 Romans in their revolt. Three years later, Roman armies, led by the dictator Sulla, retook Ephesus. In the 1st century AD, Sulla’s grandson, Memmius, built the monument in commemoration of the cities liberation.

Originally a four-sided archway, the Monument was built just beyond Curetes Street at the head of Domitian Square. The facades of the arch were once covered with reliefs of Sulla’s armies and inscriptions telling of his feats and the cities liberation, however many of these have been lost or erased as the Monument’s blocks were repurposed for other buildings. In the 4th century AD a rectangular fountain was added to the Monument, four Corinthian columns and four statues of the Roman emperors Diocletian, Maximian, Constantius I, and Galerius, lining a long rectangular pool. Today, all that remains of the Memmius Monument are a few stones and pillars as well as two rough reliefs of Memmius’ father, Caius, and grandfather, Sulla; despite the sparse remains of the once triumphant arch, the Memmius Monument is a hallmark of Ephesus and its long, storied history.

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