# The Library of Celsus at Ephesus (c. 117 CE)

URL: https://allhistories.com/turkey/timeline/117-the-library-of-celsus-at-ephesus
Themes: main-event

Gaius Julius Aquila built a library in Ephesus in honour of his father, the senator Celsus, who was buried in a sarcophagus beneath it. Its richly decorated two-storey façade held around 12,000 scrolls. Ephesus, capital of the province of Asia, had a population of perhaps 200,000, making it one of the largest cities of the empire. The façade was re-erected by archaeologists in the 1970s. The Library of Celsus is the most iconic monument of Roman Anatolia.

## Why it matters
The Library of Celsus is the most iconic monument of Roman Anatolia.

Who Was in Power: [Roman Principate](https://allhistories.com/turkey/rulers/roman-principate)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Library of Celsus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Celsus)
- [Wikipedia — Ephesus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus)
- [UNESCO World Heritage Centre — Ephesus](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1018/)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — The Library of Celsus at Ephesus](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=The+Library+of+Celsus+at+Ephesus)
- [Wikipedia — Anatolia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatolia)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of Anatolian history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Anatolian_history)