Ephesus

I’ve created three bullet point summaries, and paraphrased an excerpted article, featured on the World Archaeology website, which was written by Jason Wood/B Nilgun Oz – March 7, 2012.

The full article appears in Issue #52, and is available by subscribing to World Archaeology magazine

Historical Puzzle

Now I like a challenge, but imagine a jigsaw puzzle with over 120,000 pieces, and most of them are the same colour.  This is a serious labour of love, and the challenge that confronted the Ephesus archaeologists, who are currently restoring the marble panels in the home of this ancient city’s wealthiest residents.

Residential Neighbourhood

1. The residential neighbourhood of Ephesus sits adjacent to the magnificent Library of Celsus
2. Today, the entire structure is shielded by a huge cover building, which lets in a lot of light, but keeps out the heat
3. The structure allows visitors to watch the work being carried out on the remains, in relative comfort
4. Like almost all the surviving ruins, these terrace houses date mainly to the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, but were brought to a premature end by the disastrous earthquake and subsequent fire of AD 262
5. First excavated between 1960 and 1985, the houses known as Terrace House 2, are especially striking – and are well preserved

Terrace House 2

1. Terrace House 2 consists of six separate dwellings built over three terraces
2. These multi-storied houses were intended for comfort and luxury; designed with windowless rooms accessed and lit from the central open courtyard
3. All the houses had running water, with fountains either built into the courtyard wall or free-standing
4. A system, similar to those used for public baths, was used to provide under-floor heating
5. Statues, portrait busts, and other domestic luxuries have also been recovered, many of which are now on display in the Ephesus Archaeological Museum in Selçuk

The Marble Hall

1. Work on this section of the site at Ephesus today is focused on the restoration of an impressive Marble hall, which is in Dwelling 6.
2. The spacious dining room, formed part of the largest and grandest of the houses.
3. It would have been a sumptuous and impressive dining area, with two fountains – one on the south wall, the other at the opposite end of the room – and a carved, gilded wooden ceiling.
4. The floor was laid with marble plaques, into which was set a U-shaped mosaic band, where the couches would have been positioned.
5. The wall decoration consists of three zones of different marble panels.

It appears that the hall was undergoing repairs at the time of the AD 262 earthquake: a number of plaques, waiting to be reattached, were found stacked against a wall and sealed by the destruction layer.

The plaques still show the marks where wall-fixings had been attached, and the remains of these dowels still protrude from the wall.

 

© Source of all content and photo’s The World Archaeology Magazine

 

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