You will never forget your initial excitement when seeing the Library of Celsus. The single room measured 35.8 by 54.8 feet and contained over 12,000 scrolls. This was one of the largest collections of manuscripts in the world. The namesake is Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus. Everyone called him Celsus. He was born in Ephesus. His rise through the Roman Empire included positions as a senator and later governor of Asia Minor. He bequeathed funding for the library which doubled as his mausoleum. The project was completed by his son in 117 AD. In the niches are four allegorical statues representing the characteristics of Celsus. The Four Virtues replicas are left to right: Sophia (wisdom), Arete (valor), Ennoia (intelligence) and Episteme (knowledge). The library ceased operations at the end of the 4th century. Restoration occurred in the 1970s.
