I have been to Ephesus twice, the first time as a backpacking postgraduate student (trainee radiologist) based in the UK (1984) and the second time as an invited speaker at the European Congress of Head and Neck Radiology (ESHNR, 2013) held in Izmir.
Congress programmes usually include the option to visit places of interest. I was delighted by the arrangement to see the ruins of Ephesus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site 80 km or about an hour south of Izmir.
Ephesus was one of the largest and most important cities in the ancient Mediterranean. It was once a Greek settlement, but later became the provincial seat of the Roman government in Asia. The city developed around an ancient shrine (the earth goddess Artemis) and later became a crucial city in spreading Christianity, from which St Paul launched many of his missions.
Ephesus suffered repeated destructions over the centuries; however, the many layers of history can still be seen today at one of the largest Roman archaeological sites in the eastern Mediterranean. Archaeological excavation remains ongoing – only 20% of the city has been excavated.
The ruins at Ephesus cover a large area. Highlights include the famous collonaded facade of the Library of Celsus, which contained 12,000 scrolls; the Ephesus Amphitheatre, which had a seating capacity of 25,000; and the Temple of Hadrian (apart from the numerous cats to keep you amused and happy).
The experience in Ephesus was fantastic! I could imagine seeing Cleopatra and Marc Anthony, perhaps spending an evening debating with Heraclitus, sneaking into the Library of Celsus to prepare myself for further dialectical discourses, and watching a performance in the colossal amphitheatre. I understand both St John and Apostle Paul were also in Ephesus. I felt uplifted. Ephesus was awesome! This feeling of awe, what can science teach us about this enigmatic emotion?
The experience of awe is self-transcendent: it shifts our attention away from ourselves, triggers a feeling that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, and changes our perception of time. Awe experiences encompass “perceived vastness” and a “need for accommodation.” Awe can arise from a wide range of stimuli, for example, an immense waterfall (such as the Iguazu Falls), an astounding ability (of a disabled person), or a virtue (such as the devotion of Mother Teresa), but all involve two essential elements.
Awe experiences evoke a “need for accommodation ” when they violate our ordinary understanding of the world. When a stimulus violates our expectations, we modify our mental constructs to understand this world. Awe humbles us and increases our connectedness with others—we focus less on ourselves and feel part of something much larger than ourselves. Awe experiences induce a change in mental state resembling a flow state and an emotional state.
Like other emotional states, awe experiences accompany physiological and psychological changes and changes in social effects, such as a change in the heart rate, the appearance of goosebumps, and the sensation of chills. Studies have consistently shown that awe experiences improve our mood, decrease materialism, and increase our generosity.
If you are convinced about the uplifting effect of awe, why not prepare yourself for more?
Vince
Dr Vincent Chong is a retired Professor of Radiology at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore.
