Ephesus Museum in Selçuk: The Artemis Statues and What to See

What is the Ephesus Museum in Selçuk?

It is the archaeological museum of Ephesus, and the place to see what the ruins have lost. The ancient city gives you the streets and the buildings; the museum keeps what stood in them: the cult statues of Artemis, the statues from the fountains, the portraits of the emperors and the everyday objects of the Terrace Houses.

Many visitors expect to find these pieces at the site. The finds excavated between 1867 and 1905 went to the British Museum in London, and those found by Austrian archaeologists between 1905 and 1923 went to Vienna. When Turkish law changed to keep finds in the country, a depot was built in Selçuk in 1929. The museum opened in 1964, gained a second wing in 1976, and reopened in late 2014 after a renovation that began in 2012.

The halls are arranged mostly by where things were found rather than by date, so it is easy to connect a statue with a place you walked past on site. That is why our longer tours visit the museum after the ruins, not before.

What should you see in the Ephesus Museum?

An hour is enough to see the whole museum. These are the pieces not to miss, hall by hall.

The two statues of Artemis

The most famous room holds two marble statues of Artemis Ephesia, the patron goddess of the city. Both were found in 1956 in the Prytaneion, the town hall of Ephesus. The story goes that a Turkish excavation worker hurried to the head of the dig, the Austrian archaeologist Franz Miltner, to report a golden statue; it was marble, but in remarkable condition. Both are Roman versions of the ancient cult image that stood in the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world.

The rows of egg-shaped forms on their chests have been read as breasts, eggs or the testicles of sacrificed bulls, and scholars still disagree. Our article on Artemis of Ephesus and the gods of Homer's world explains why she looks so unlike the Greek huntress.

Finds from the Terrace Houses

Another large hall is given to the Terrace Houses, the hillside homes of the wealthiest families of Roman Ephesus. Most of their frescoes and mosaics are now left in place on site, so the museum mainly shows what the families kept in their rooms: a marble head of Socrates, a bust of Livia, a portrait of Marcus Aurelius, medical instruments, scales and toys, and a small bronze of Eros riding a dolphin from the 2nd century BC.

Do not miss the ivory frieze, about 120 cm long, found in a burnt layer of Terrace House 2. Its panels show Emperor Trajan with his army on campaign, carved in the early 2nd century AD, probably for a piece of furniture.

Statues from the fountains

Ephesus was a city of monumental fountains, and their statues fill the first hall. From the Fountain of Domitian comes the Polyphemus group, Homer's scene of Odysseus offering the one-eyed giant a bowl of wine while his companions carry the stake that will blind him. From the Pollio Monument comes the resting warrior, a young man half-lying against a rock with a shield on his arm. The statues from the Nymphaeum of Trajan include a young hunter thought to be Androclus, the legendary founder of the city, whose story we tell in The Founding Myth of Ephesus.

Emperors and the imperial cult

Ephesus competed with its neighbours to honour Rome's emperors, and this hall shows how. Seated statues of Augustus and Livia were found in fragments beside the State Agora, with crosses later carved on their foreheads. Next to the altar from the Temple of Domitian stand the colossal head and forearm of a statue identified as Domitian himself. Here too are the original frieze panels of the Temple of Hadrian on Curetes Street, and pieces of the Parthian Monument, a huge relief of Rome's war against Parthia in the AD 160s.

Coins and the garden

The coin room begins with some of the earliest coins ever struck: electrum pieces from Ephesus of around 620 to 600 BC, stamped with a grazing stag. The stag and the bee were the emblems of the city, both linked to Artemis. In the garden stand finds from the Belevi Mausoleum, a monumental Hellenistic tomb a short drive from Selçuk, including its sarcophagus and winged lion-griffins, and the Ephesian Customs Law, an inscription of AD 62 setting out harbour dues under Nero, found reused at the Basilica of St John.

How do the two Artemis statues compare?

At first glance they look alike, but they are different statues from different reigns. Here is how to tell them apart.

A third, smaller Artemis statue was found with them, in much poorer condition.

Original or copy: where are the treasures of Ephesus now?

Not everything you see at Ephesus is original, and not every original is in Selçuk. This table tells you what you are looking at.

Is the Ephesus Museum the same as the Ephesus Experience Museum?

No, and the names cause real confusion. Four museums show Ephesus, and only one of them is the Ephesus Museum in Selçuk.

What are the opening hours and ticket prices?

The museum is open every day of the year, on the Ministry's summer and winter timetables. Prices are set in euros and charged in Turkish lira at the day's rate.

The museum is not included in the €40 Ephesus ticket. If you plan to see all four sites, the combined ticket saves €6 on buying them separately. Our Ephesus entrance fee guide has every price.

How long do you need, and when should you go?

Allow 1 to 1.5 hours; an audio guide is available. Go after the ruins rather than before: once you have walked Curetes Street and stood in the Prytaneion, the statues make far more sense. As an indoor stop, it is also a welcome break from the sun on a summer afternoon.

The museum is in the centre of Selçuk (Atatürk Mahallesi, Uğur Mumcu Sevgi Yolu 26), close to the bus station. It is about 3 km from the lower gate of Ephesus and a few minutes' walk from the Basilica of St John and the site of the Temple of Artemis, so the three fit into one afternoon. Staying in town? See our guide to Ephesus from Selçuk.

Which tours include the Ephesus Museum?

Two of our private tours include it, with the entrance fee in the price. The others visit the Ephesus Experience Museum inside the site, and you can add the Ephesus Museum to any of them.

Every tour includes:

• Entrance fees for every site on the route
• A licensed guide
• An air-conditioned vehicle
• Pickup and drop-off at your hotel, cruise port or Izmir Airport

Who will show you the Ephesus Museum?

Tuncher Tourism was founded in 2025 by Dr. Asil Tunçer, a historian with an MA and a PhD in History, born and raised in Izmir, who has guided in the region for 40 years. Before founding the company he guided Steve Jobs and other well-known guests around Turkey; the list is on our references page. Read more about Dr. Tunçer on his profile.

Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Dosseman (CC BY-SA 4.0), Dosseman (CC BY-SA 4.0), Dosseman (CC BY-SA 4.0), Dosseman (CC BY-SA 4.0), Gargarapalvin (CC BY-SA 4.0), Dosseman (CC BY-SA 4.0), Dosseman (CC BY-SA 4.0), Dosseman (CC BY-SA 4.0).