from the ruins of time

Collected near the odeon of the ancient Greek city of Ephesus, this may have once been part of a grand classical column. Or it’s just an ordinary piece of marble. This was found in December 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the ruins were as empty as they’ve ever been. Stray cats roamed with no tourists to pet them: the last Ephesians. Today, Turkey’s thousands of historical sites contrast against an industrial society. And the Ephesian ruins sit in a country that forced out many Greek people decades ago.

Zachary Radu in Selçuk, İzmir Province