Celsus Library, Ephesus, Turkey

The library was completed in 135 AD by Gaius Julius Aquila and was constructed in the memory of his father, Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus. Celsus was both popular and well respected, known also for his wealth. He enjoyed the positions of Consul in AD92 and Governor of Asia in AD115.The library’s principal functions were to act as a tomb for Celsus and for the protection of 12,000 scrolls. However, consideration towards architectural beauty was also thought out in the design. The building consisted of a single hall facing eastwards in the direction of the morning sun.  Situated on a large platform and accessed via a series of steps rising up to the three entrances.  

The 10^th century unfortunately, saw the collapse of the façade as the result of an earthquake; however the interior had been destroyed earlier by fire. The building as it stands today was painstakingly restored by Austrian archaeologists. Copies of statues stand in niches where once the originals stood; they depict the virtues of Celsus being wisdom (Sophia), knowledge (Episteme), intelligence (Ennoia) and valour (Arete). The originals have been safely housed in Vienna since 1910.