BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Souvenirs to Riot Over

The Ephesus riots from Acts 19 in context

According to Acts 19, there was once a riot in the ancient city of Ephesus instigated by a silversmith named Demetrius. At some point, this particular silversmith saw a dramatic drop in sales and felt his future livelihood to be severely threatened. According to the text, Demetrius produced silver shrines of Artemis and blamed Christians—and their theological views—for people not wanting to buy his wares. He gathered a group of likeminded craftsmen who were equally put out by the growing influence of this new religion and they stirred the city into a frenzy. They claimed that the presence of the apostle Paul and his ilk would destroy Artemis’s reputation and that of her temple in Ephesus, which was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Archaeology can help us better understand why Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen were so worried about this new religious cult. Much like today, there was a very profitable souvenir business in ancient times, particularly during the Roman period, when travel was relatively safe and many people went on journeys to visit far off places. Many of these journeys were religious in nature, and just as the Jews of the Diaspora made pilgrimages to visit the Jerusalem Temple, adherents to traditional Roman religion also made journeys to visit the great temples of their gods. Be it Zeus of Olympia, Athena of Athens, or Artemis of Ephesus, these pilgrims often purchased keepsakes to commemorate their visit or mementos for loved ones who could not make the journey with them. These keepsakes could take many forms, be it glass ornaments with cityscapes or miniature representations of altars or statues within the great temples.

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The Tyche of Antioch, a particularly famous statue of the goddess of Fortune in ancient times created to commemorate the founding of Syrian Antioch in 300 BCE, was recreated in the form of various types of souvenirs, including miniature bronze replicas (see right) and glass perfume bottles. In Athens, a visitor could buy commemorative plaques and lamps with images of the Athena Parthenos or even ceramic replicas of the goddess’s shield. Ephesus was known to have a thriving souvenir trade.

The Ephesian Artemis, a unique depiction of an age-old Near Eastern goddess (see first image above), was often reproduced in miniature. Gold and silversmiths produced statuettes that could weigh between 3 and 7 pounds. Miniature shrines like the ones Demetrius is said to have made were mostly terra cotta. A silver shrine would have been much more prestigious and expensive, meaning Demetrius probably made a pretty good living when business was good. The costly nature of his materials meant that Demetrius needed a steady flow of well-off tourists and pilgrims to visit Ephesus and its famous temple to turn a profit. A threat to the worship of the goddess and the prestige of her temple was a threat to his livelihood.

The new Christian cult and their monotheistic beliefs were indeed a threat to the religious souvenir trade, at least in Demetrius’s day. It wouldn’t be long before Christianity’s own pilgrimage sites spawned an extensive souvenir enterprise that continues to this very day.

For more about ancient souvenirs and keepsakes, see “Precious Memories: Souvenirs of the Roman Empire” by Maggie L. Popkin in the Summer 2024 Issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.

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BAS Library Members: Read the full article “Precious Memories: Souvenirs of the Roman Empire” by Maggie L. Popkin in the Summer 2024 Issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.

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Related reading in Bible History Daily:

Holy Land Souvenirs

The Starbucks Guide to Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology

Biblical Riot at Ephesus: The Archaeological Context

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