EphesUs

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EphesUs

• Private Houses

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The Metropolis of Asia

• Colonized by Greeks by 8th century BCE
• Relocated to its current site, placed on a grid
  plan, and walled in by general Lysimachus in the
  Hellenistic period
• Ruled by Seleucids, then Attalid Empire (ruled
  from Pergamon), after Lysimachus death
• Bequeathed to Rome in 133 BCE became the capital
  of proconsular Asia in 29 BCE
• Revolved around the cult of Artemis, but was a
  culturally complex city
• Located on a harbor, it gained a lot of wealth as
  a distinguished trading city

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The Terrace Houses, or Hanghauser

• Two large, lavish housing complexes built on
  terraces on the slope of Mt. Koressos (Bulbuldag)
• Hanghaus 1 and Hanghaus 2
• Both had heating, running water, and private
  bathrooms
• Built in the 1st century CE and inhabited until
  the 7th century
• Underwent numerous renovations over time
• Primarily housed wealthy families

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Marmorstrasse
Embolos
Hanghauser 1 2
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Hanghaus 1
12 tabernae (shops) along the street
Largest unit is Roman-style residence called the
Domus
Broken down into smaller apartments in late
Antiquity
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Hanghaus 2
7 peristyle units
More extensively excavated, therefore producing
more examples of the rich decoration that
characterized both Hanghaus 1 and 2
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Most residences were peristyle houses
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Mosaic floors
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Wall niches allowed residents to display statues
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The oecus, which in Classical Greece was the
private family room, was now more of a display
area for socializing. Also, no evidence of gender
separation in these homes.
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A triclinium
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Evidence of intellectualism. These walls depict
characters from the plays of Euripides and
Menander.
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Philosophers
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Basilicas were added on to some units. In late
Antiquity a basilica was built on to House 2.6,
shown here. House 1.3 also had one.
Basilica
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Other Houses

• Several other housing sites exist in Ephesus, but
  there isnt much information about them
• People started building houses over destroyed
  public buildings, such as the palaestra and the
  agoras Harbour Gymnasium, in late Antiquity
• Wealthy Romans built villas that were like
  palaces
• E.g., The Governors Palace, which had apses and
  an octagonal hall

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Conclusion

• The Hanghauser are mostly Greek-influenced, but
  also incorporate Roman elements into their
  architecture, such as the atrium and the
  basilica.
• The houses opulence shows that the elite were
  competing to exert their local authority in
  Ephesus, as Rome exerted its authority over the
  Empire.

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Bibliography

• Akurgal, Ekrem. Ancient Civilizations and Ruins
  of Turkey.
• Hales, Shelley. The Roman House and Social
  Identity.
• McKay, A.G. Houses, Villas and Palaces in the
  Roman World.
• Scherrer, Peter. The Historical Topography of
  Ephesos.