An update on the Terrace Houses of Ephesos

Truly something for puzzle aficionados! Roll up your sleeves and dig in the bunch of 120,000 shards to recreate an ancient mosaic floor. So far, archaeologists have successfully fitted together 50,000 pieces in four years, an ambitious and challenging project since they don’t know what the ultimate picture is supposed to look like! On average, the team can assemble 50 to 60 pieces a day but on a lucky day, they may assemble as many as 200 pieces. If you don’t fancy investing your energy in this time-consuming guesswork, you still can look over the shoulder of these courageous people while visiting the so-called Terrace Houses when you are in Ephesos (see also my previous article: Ephesos and its terrace houses).

[Picture from the Hurriyet Daily News]

The luxury of these villas has nothing to envy the modern rich and famous. The brilliantly decorated walls and floors are only part of the amenities, for these Romans from the first centuries AD were familiar with floor heating and cooling through cold water channels; the ceilings were decorated with gold leaves, and marbles from fifty different quarries were used.

While at first, the archaeologists were able to distinguish two villas, they now know that one of them belonged to Flavius Furius Aptus, probably a priest at the Temple of Dionysus. His most splendid room was his dining room with a pool in the middle, famous for its floor mosaics and wall paintings where he received his guests. After repeated earthquakes, the building collapsed leaving the 120,000 shards of marble for us to sweep up and put back into place.

Meanwhile, the painted walls of the Terrace Houses are undergoing a thorough cleanup in the hope to give us a glimpse of their original glory. After the initial restoration, archaeologists are now working with a new process using the latest technology. This year alone 120 m2 spread over eight rooms were strengthened and cleaned with these special chemicals. They aim at recreating the decoration with small touches without interfering with the paintings themselves.

[Picture from the Hurriyet Daily News]

I find it most unfortunate that many trips to Ephesos do not include a visit to these Terrace Houses. A separate entrance fee (well worth the hidden beauty) is being charged and tour operators tend to rush their customers down through Curetus Street without stopping at these remarkable rooms. What a shame!