From Kuşadası, we drove to the ruins of Ephesus, an ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia in southwestern Turkey, although more than a millennium later it’s totally inland. It was built in the 10th century B.C. by Greek colonists and was one of the 12 cities of the Ionian League. The city flourished after it came under the control of the Romans in 129 B.C.

With an estimated seating capacity of 25,000, the theater is believed to be the largest in the ancient world. This open-air theater was used initially for drama but during later Roman times gladiatorial combats were also held on its stage; the first archaeological evidence of a gladiator graveyard was found in May 2007.

There’s one in every crowd, posted earlier: