Ephesus

Ephesus was the leading city of Roman Asia and home to the temple of Artemis, one of the ancient world's Seven Wonders, along with a theater that could seat some twenty five thousand spectators. Paul made it the center of his third missionary journey, staying about three years and sparking a riot among silversmiths whose idol trade suffered from his preaching; he later addressed a moving farewell to the Ephesian elders at Miletus. It is one of the seven churches addressed in Revelation, and tradition holds that the apostle John spent his final years and was buried there. Excavations have uncovered much of the ancient city, including the Library of Celsus and the massive theater, still among the best preserved Roman ruins in the eastern Mediterranean.