The citadel on Ayasuluk Hill-The Gate of Persecution
| Department | Archive |
|---|---|
| Collection | Byzantine Research Fund |
| Reference No. | BRF/02/02/03/010 |
| Level | Item |
| Place |
Ayasoluk Fortress Ayasuluk |
| Dates | 1872-1873 |
| Donor/Creator |
Trotman, Corporal J. |
| Scope and Content | View of the Gate. This is a Hellenic Society photograph. It is numbered (H.S. 3112) at the back. Further annotation in pencil survives. |
| Further information | Ayasuluk Hill fortifications date from the early Byzantine period and were extensively reconstructed in the Seljuk period. Entry to the citadel on Ayasuluk Hill was through the Gate of Persecution which is flanked by square towers on either side and dates to the 6th c. AD, but rebuilt in the 8th c.. The Gate was named after a frieze depicting the discovering of Achilles by Odysseus which was mistakenly interpreted as depicting the persecution of the Christians. Immediately inside the fortifications lies St. John's Church, a domed basilica dating to the time of Justinian (AD 527-565) - said to be built over the tomb of St. John. |
| Related records |
[BSA SPHS 01/1197.3112], Ephesus: 'Gate of Persecution' or Castle Gate, 1872-1873
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