An ancient city on the western coast of Asia Minor, Ephesus served at various points as a center of learning, a source of prized green marble used in the construction of the Hagia Sophia, and a strategic prize contested by competing powers. It was there that Julian, passing through on his way to Athens, appears to have abandoned Christianity in favor of paganism. In the early fourteenth century the city fell to Othman during his expansion into Byzantine territory, illustrating the empire's inability to halt the Ottoman advance even when fielding a force to meet it.
What each episode says
Episode 5 (1 mention)
Home of the great library where Julian stopped on his way to Athens. It was at this point that he seems to have made the decision to abandon Christianity and adopt paganism.
“On his way to Athens, he stopped at the great library at Ephesus, and at this point seems”
Episode 9 (1 mention)
The source of the green marble used in the Hagia Sophia, cited by Brownworth as one example of how the building drew materials from across the empire.
“the empire, eight columns from the Temple of the Sun in Rome, green marble from Ephesus,”
Episode 16 (1 mention)
The ancient city that Othman conquered as part of his early expansion, demonstrating the inability of the weakened Byzantine empire to stem the Turkish advance even after marching out to meet the Ottoman force.
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