Dismantling Pride: An Interpretation of the Destruction of the Imperial Cult Monuments in Ephesus in Late Antiquity
METU Architectural History Graduate Symposium 12 - Spaces / Times / Peoples: “Dispossession” and Architectural History, Ankara, Turkey, 24 December 2021, (Summary Text)
- Publication Type: Conference Paper / Summary Text
- City: Ankara
- Country: Turkey
- Dokuz Eylül University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
Ephesus’ identity in Roman times was defined by its legendary past and by the
contemporary circumstances mostly defined by the realities of the imperial rule.
This led to the adorning of the urban spaces with the conjoined representations
and cults of the imperial family and those of Ephesus’ ancestral goddess,
Artemis. One of the most conspicuous material expressions of imperial presence
in the urban spaces of Ephesus was the imperial temples, which were significant
centers and sources of civic pride. However, the advent of Christianity caused a
shift in paradigm. The official imperial temples, once proud architectural
expressions in the cityscape, were razed and the imperial imagery faced
iconoclasm. In this vein, I aim to highlight how the dismantling (sometimes the
purge) of the former forms of material manifestations of civic pride – the
dispossession of the imperial cult from its respective context in the urban spaces
and the religious milieu of Ephesus – was a novel and avid assertion of collective
identity. Indeed, abandoning or destroying a monument, as well as building one,
is a collective and a monumental practice. However, this tends to be overlooked
in scholarly research, which can be viewed as a consequence of a prevalent
conception of violence as devoid of content, exterior to and/or contradictory to
meaning and culture and having a marginalized place in human praxis. In turn,
the perception of violence and culture as inimical or irrelevant phenomena
results in disregarding the significance of the destruction phases of monuments
compared to their construction and intended use following their establishment.
Yet, as well as their dedication, destruction of monuments has a lot to offer.
Monuments are expected to last. Therefore, conscious violence towards these
public structures is imbued with significant connotations. In this regard, the aim
of this presentation is to provide a perspective on the nature of the
dispossession of the imperial cult from the cityscape in Ephesus as keen
expressions of identity and monumental reactions of the local population to a
new context.