The Ancient City of Ephesus is recognized as one of the first cities in history to be constructed entirely from marble. In this ancient city, structures were predominantly built using stone, brick, and wood, with stone — particularly marble — being regarded as the most significant material. Despite the presence of numerous marble quarries in the vicinity, the question of how the Ephesians first discovered this valuable building material remains intriguing. One ancient writer tells the story of this discovery as follows: While constructing the Temple of Artemis, the Ephesians initially considered importing marble from the islands of Thasos and Paros due to the anticipated high costs. At this juncture, an unexpected event occurs. An Ephesian shepherd named Pixodoros witnesses his goats grazing in the mountains, when suddenly two goats begin to fight. As one goat unexpectedly charges at the other, the latter sidesteps, and the charging goat cannot halt its momentum and rams into the rock’s surface. The impact produces a large spark, and a piece of the rock breaks off and falls to the ground, revealing an unprecedentedly beautiful white marble. Excitedly, the shepherd rushes to the city to show everyone his discovery and recounts the event. This news brings great joy to Ephesus. The shepherd who found the marble has his name changed to Evangelos, meaning "good news.” Thus, the rich marble deposits located just 9 kilometers from Ephesus (around the present-day vicinity of Belevi, at the foot of Sağlık Mountain) are discovered. In the ensuing years, the monumental structures of the city, including the Temple of Artemis, were built with marble obtained from these nearby quarries.

The Ancient City of Ephesus is recognized as one of the first cities in history to be constructed entirely from marble. In this ancient city, structures were predominantly built using stone, brick, and wood, with stone — particularly marble — being regarded as the most significant material. Despite the presence of numerous marble quarries in the vicinity, the question of how the Ephesians first discovered this valuable building material remains intriguing. One ancient writer tells the story of this discovery as follows: While constructing the Temple of Artemis, the Ephesians initially considered importing marble from the islands of Thasos and Paros due to the anticipated high costs. At this juncture, an unexpected event occurs. An Ephesian shepherd named Pixodoros witnesses his goats grazing in the mountains, when suddenly two goats begin to fight. As one goat unexpectedly charges at the other, the latter sidesteps, and the charging goat cannot halt its momentum and rams into the rock’s surface. The impact produces a large spark, and a piece of the rock breaks off and falls to the ground, revealing an unprecedentedly beautiful white marble. Excitedly, the shepherd rushes to the city to show everyone his discovery and recounts the event. This news brings great joy to Ephesus. The shepherd who found the marble has his name changed to Evangelos, meaning "good news.” Thus, the rich marble deposits located just 9 kilometers from Ephesus (around the present-day vicinity of Belevi, at the foot of Sağlık Mountain) are discovered. In the ensuing years, the monumental structures of the city, including the Temple of Artemis, were built with marble obtained from these nearby quarries.