3D Animation of Ephesus: The Ancient City in Turkey

Hungarian 3D artist Adam Nemeth made the 3D animation of Ephesus Ancient city. By his work, the artist revived the brightest period of the Ephesus Ancient City in Izmir after a year of hard work. The successful 3D artist animated some of the most impressive architectural monuments of Ephesus. So, out of those masterpieces, there are Celsus Library, Arthemis Temple, Agore, and much more…

Turkish newspaper Hurriyet made an interview with the Hungarian artist to reveal the details of the amazing work. This is not the first work the artist has done. Among many of his quality works, this could be the most impressive one. So, let’s get to dive into the details and enjoy the pictures.

The Built Story of the Ancient City of Ephesus

Androklos, the son of Kodros, the King of Athens, sails to build a new city in 1000s BC and comes to a beautiful bay. So, here, he finds islets, hills, and valleys. Further, there is a river that irrigates large lands behind them. Hence, Androklos and his fellows want to establish a new city here. However, they need approval from the gods and priests. The prophets of the temple in the Delfi share the prophecy for the city to be established. So, according to the prophecy, “Fish will leap, pigs will escape and you will establish a bright future there.”

The Prophecy Comes True

So one day, while Androklos and his fellows fry the fishes that they have fished in the river, the oil in the fry-pan bursts. The fishes leap and the fires along with the leaped fishes ignite the bushes around. Pigs, which hide inside the bushes, start to escape from the fire and smokes. And so, the legend comes true…

So, this is the establishment legend of the Ancient City of Ephesus, which is located in Izmir today. (Take a look at our detailed article on The Ancient Metropolis: Ephesus) The ancient city of Ephesus became one of the most important cities in the East and the West for the hundreds-of-years. Today, the ancient city, which welcomes nearly two million visitors a year, was the center of trade, culture, and religion at the time. It experienced its brightest period between 27-14 BC during the reign of Emperor Augustus. Today, there is the Temple of Artemis, whose single column has survived. Further, the Celsus Library, which consists of a magnificent facade. The theater, and marble road are also reflecting the shadow of the home life. It is difficult for a person to imagine this lively city, where more than 200 thousand people once lived.

3D Animation of Ephesus

This is what exactly Hungarian 3D artist Adam Nemeth does: to revive the ancient cities, which have nothing but a few stones and columns, by using computer technology. The particular interest of Nemeth, who lives in Budapest, is the Roman Period.

What draws his attention is not the historical figures whose lives are subjected to movies, but the daily lives of the ordinary people. He says, “to make animation is like doing detective work.” Adam collects all the data from all kinds of sources before starting to work and reveals the most probable thesis by looking at what he has in hand.

Time Travelling Through The History of Ephesus Ancient City

Adam Nemeth says that he imagines himself as a time traveler who visits ancient Rome cities. However, the Hungarian virtual reconstructionist has never come to Turkey. He made studies on Ephesus over the data. The artist took the work of reviving Ephesus from a Spanish publisher. He says his models are true to the original, up to centimeters. But he does not guarantee to color. He said, “I couldn’t find a review on the paints used in Ephesus. We need these animations because most of the information is not available anyway.”

3D Animation of Ephesus with Visuals

Curetes Street was the most important street in the Ancient City of Ephesus. Water basements, temples, and baths take place on both sides of the street. There is also a sign in Ephesus Ancient City, which is accepted as the oldest commercial in the world.

The Agora of Ephesus, which was built in the 1st century AD during the reign of Emperor Augustus and Claudius, is surrounded by galleries with columns on 3 sides.

The Theatre of Ephesus was the biggest open-air museum of the Ancient period with a capacity for 23 thousand people. Unfortunately, the stage of the theater was destroyed, but the seating areas are intact. It is also a very important work for Christianity since St. Paul’s sermons here.

Celsus Library, which was built in the Ionian period, is one of the greatest monuments of Ancient Civilizations and it has two floors. Specialists think that it has hosted up to 14,000 books on time.

The Temple of Artemis and Other Monuments

The Hadrian temple was built between 117-138 to honor of Emperor Hadrian. The column layout in front of the cult room carries a pediment. Its name is the Syrian type.

The Memmius Monument is an honor monument for Gaius Memmius, one of the grandchildren of the Roman Dictator Sulla. It depicts the virtues of the person via a tower-shaped conical roof and honored between the columns of the upper floor.

The Trajan Fountain surrounds a large pool from all three sides. There is a statue of Emperor Trajan in the section where the water flows. There were many statues in the Trajan Fountain, not just the Emperor’s statue.

The Temple of Artemis is dedicated to the Goddess Artemis and was completed in 550 before Christ in Ephesus. The temple was built entirely of marble. Today, only one or two pieces of marble remain from the temple, which is considered one of the seven wonders of the world.