Ephesus - The Aegean Coast - Cities and Towns in Turkey - Turkey - Home
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The Terrace Houses |
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| Some of the terrace
houses were opened to the public in 1985, when it was thought that the
restoration work was completed. It has been proved that this sector was
used for urban development from the 1st century B.C. onwards. The houses
were the property of various wealthy owners until the 7th century. At
its peak, the 2nd and 4th centuries, these were one-storey houses
occupied by wealthy citizens or priests of noble lineage and composed of
spacious rooms grouped around an open-air courtyard, the largest being
used as reception and dining-rooms. In addition to kitchens and cellar,
a large number of bed-rooms have been unearthed.
Water was supplied
by fountains surrounded by mosaics. Some of the walls reach a height of
4 meters and stairs Leading to the upper storey have also beef
unearthed. For flooring, mosaics went preferred to marble pavements but
marble was frequently employed in the thresholds. Wall decorations
consist mainly of painting on plaster. A visit to the terrace houses
should be supplemented by a visit to the Archaeological Museum in Selcuk
where there is a very nice collection of murals, furniture and utensils
that were found in the houses and are on exhibit. |
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The terrace houses date from the time of Augustus. Each of the dwellings of these wealthy Ephesians were decorated with beautiful frescoes and mosaics. The houses had luxurious bedrooms, bathrooms, triclinium, and kitchens. The houses were built against the mountain south of Ephesus with the roof of one house forming the terrace for the house above it. These houses were inhabited until the 7th c. A.D. As you can see by the photo at the left, many of the walls were elaborately decorated with frescoes and paintings that depicted the way of life in Ephesus and the surrounding countryside. The photos below shows how some of the floors were constructed and decorated by placing tiles in intricate designs. |
 Not only were mosaics used on the floors of the inside of the terrace houses, but also for the floor of many of the entryways, as well as on the terraces. |
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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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