Sexy Silt

 

The last day of the year, particularly this troubled 2020, is time to herald, out with the old and in with the new.  But for the intrepid tourist, or the ardent historian, the opposite impulse is true.

Towards that end what do Bruges, Ephesus and many other top tourist meccas share?  The answer is glorious silt.  Silt is the sand, clay or other material carried by water and deposited, usually in a harbor or channel.

• Man made historical marvels are preserved through a cycle of wealth and poverty.  Prosperous cities employ the best artisans.  Religious and secular structures shine.  But with continuous prosperity, change is constant.  Buildings are torn down to be replaced with the current architectural fad.  Not so when a city falls on hard times.  Bruges was the center of trade for the region.   Medieval structures reflected the wealth.  But the harbor silted up.  Without funds to build, Bruges became an historical time capsule.

So too was the fate of Ephesus.  Under the Greeks and later, the Romans, this town near the coast flourished with an astonishing population of roughly 250 thousand.  

 The city lacked for nothing.  Aqueducts brought water, and sewage flowed away in underground pipes.  Homes were adorned with mosaics and public buildings paid homage to the gods, particularly Artemis.  Here too silt crippled trade, and froze the city in time.

When economies crumble, buildings remain.