The Temple of the Sebastoi in

Ephesus Ephesus (; grc-gre, Ἔφεσος, Éphesos; tr, Efes; may ultimately derive from hit, 𒀀𒉺𒊭, Apaša) was a city in ancient Greece on the coast of Ionia, southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built i ...

, formerly called the Temple of Domitian, is a

Roman temple Ancient Roman temples were among the most important buildings in Roman culture, and some of the richest buildings in Roman architecture, though only a few survive in any sort of complete state. Today they remain "the most obvious symbol of ...

dedicated to the

Imperial cult An imperial cult is a form of state religion in which an emperor or a dynasty of emperors (or rulers of another title) are worshipped as demigods or deities. "Cult" here is used to mean "worship", not in the modern pejorative sense. The cult may ...

of the

Flavian dynasty The Flavian dynasty ruled the Roman Empire between AD 69 and 96, encompassing the reigns of Vespasian (69–79), and his two sons Titus (79–81) and Domitian (81–96). The Flavians rose to power during the civil war of 69, known ...

. It was dedicated in CE 89/90 under the reign of

Domitian Domitian (; la, Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Fl ...

. Its contemporary name is known from an adjacent inscription.Steven J. Friesen, ''Imperial Cults and the Apocalypse of John'', 2001, p. 43-55 "''Sebastoi''" (''lit.'' 'venerable ones') refers to the imperial dynasty; it is the plural of "''

sebastos ( grc-gre, σεβαστός, sebastós, venerable one, Augustus, ; plural , ) was an honorific used by the ancient Greeks to render the Roman imperial title of . The female form of the title was (). It was revived as an honorific in the 11th-ce ...

''", the Greek rendering of the Roman imperial title ''

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

''. The city of Ephesus was the first to be named '' neokoros'' (lit. 'temple-warden') thanks to this temple.

Notes

Bibliography

* Steven J. Friesen, ''Twice Neokoros: Ephesus, Asia & the Cult of the Flavian Imperial Family'', Brill, 1993.

External links

90 90s in the Roman Empire 1st-century Roman temples Ephesus Roman temples of the Imperial cult {{AncientRome-struct-stub

See also

Notes

Bibliography

External links