Ephesus - The Aegean Coast - Cities and Towns in Turkey - Turkey - Homeago
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fountain, which dates from the 1st century A.D., was dedicated to
Sextilius Pollio, who was responsible for the construction of the Mamas
aqueduct in Ephesus. It has a concave facade. A sculpture group
depicting one of the adventures of Ulysses discovered here was repaired
and is now exhibited in the local museum.
There was a pond in front of the fountain,
decorated with the Odysseus and Polyphemos statue group. It has a high arch facing the temple of Domitian. It is known to be decorated with a number of statues with one of these statues is the Head of Zeus which is on display in the Ephesus Museum today. Some of these statues were thought to be taken from the Isis Temple, probably after an earthquake, to repair the fountain. The statue group of Odysseus and Polyphemus , that once were on the basin, are now displayed also in Ephesus Museum. (www.ephesus.us/ephesus/ephesusmuseum.htm) |
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The fountain is located to the east of Domitian Square, next to the western side of the Agora. With its wide and high arch which supports the triangular pediment and its small pool, it is quite an appealing structure. Water fell into the pool through the semi-circular apsidal wall on the side of the Agora. The Polyphemus group statue, which today is exhibited in the Ephesus Museum, was found in the pool on a pedestal built to fit the apsidal wall. These statues were originally on the pediment of the Temple of Isis in the middle of the Agora, but after the collapse of that structure, they were brought here. The theme of the group statue is one of the adventures of Odysseus in the Aegean following the Trojan wars, specifically, his adventure with Polyphemus, son of Posseidon. According to an inscription, the fountain was constructed by Sextilius Pollia in 97 A.D. |
| The water was brought to the fountains of Ephesus from three main sources through aqueducts and distributed from fountains by a branching system of baked clay pipes. The sources were Kencherios (42km) at Kuşadası, Çamlık village stream of Marnas (15km), and the Cayster River (20km).Water was free of charge by the city in the public fountains. Also they provided refreshment in hot summer days for the streets. |
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CLICK HERE for
additional photos of Ephesus
and
HERE for photos of some of the intricate
detail work to be found in Ephesus.
| It is best to visit Ephesus with a good
guide - especially if it is your first visit. Although there are many licensed,
official tour guides, I believe that Can (John) Yigit is one of the best. One of
the main reasons is, not only does he love this place, but he worked here beside
the archeologists when he was in college. And, is very personable. His English
is excellent and he makes the place come alive with his narrative. Contact
information is as follows: Can Yigit Gsm +90 532. 426 63 35 Tel +90 256. 612 83 30 email: guidecan68@yahoo.com P.O. Box 152 09400 Kusadasi / Aydin / Turkey Here
are a couple of comments about John. |
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