Stadium
The Stadium was first built in the reign of Nero (54-68 AD, but the Roman stadium probably replaced an earlier structure built during the rule of Hellenistic king Lysimachus (3rd century BC) and was located to the south of the Vedius Gymnasium.

The stadium was shaped like a long 'U' and measured 229m by 28m. The spectators' seats on the south was resting on the slopes of the Mount Pion. The seats on the northern section were placed on the heightened vaulted galleries. There was a monumental entrance gate to the Stadium on the west. Its last shape was mainly given and enlarged during the Roman Emperor Neron's reign in the 1st century A.D. As all Roman stadiums from the classical era, it was planned in a U-shape then.

But none of the pieces of seating tiers were kept. They were used for the restoration works of the other buildings in Ephesus and also in the construction of the Basilica of St. John.

The stadium was usually used for ceremonies and sports activities. But during the 3rd and 4th centuries gladiator and wild animal fights became very popular especially in Roman Period and thus the stadium was also used for their fights. It is known that certain families owned gladiator schools.

The stadium narrowed in the center, allowing the eastern section to be turned into an arena for the more gory spectacles of gladiators and animal combats. Wild animals were kept in small rooms nearby.
Also Christians were persecuted here and were thrown to the lions.

Thus when Christianity became the official religion of Romans in 413 AD, they destroyed the stadium and built the Persecution Gate there as a symbol of these sufferings.

When Ephesus was mostly abandoned in the 7th century, much of the stadium was dismantled and its stone added to the fortifications on Ayasuluk hill.