Construction and destruction of one of the largest libraries in Ancient Rome

In Ancient Rome, one of the most important cultural institutions was the library of Celsus, built during the reign of Hadrian in Ephesus. The building was built by Tiberius Aquila, who dedicated it to his father, Tiberius Celsus. There were about 12 thousand scrolls stored here, which lay in numerous niches and on shelves.

The building of the library began to be built in 114 and was completed during the lifetime of the heir of Aquila, who promised a huge sum for the purchase of its contents. Inside the structure was placed a sarcophagus with the remains of Celsus. This was unusual, since burials were only allowed outside the city limits. However, they decided to change the traditions: Celsus was a respected man and did a lot for the province. The sarcophagus was made of marble and decorated with a bas-relief. It was found during excavations in 1904.

The building itself was decorated with female sculptures that symbolized Knowledge, Wisdom, Thought and Virtue. They were moved to a Museum in Vienna, and among the ruins of the library are copies of them made of plaster. The structure was destroyed in the III century, when the Goths attacked Ephesus. Part of the library was destroyed by fire, but the facade has been preserved to this day.