Harbor Baths (Ephesus)

The Roman baths of the harbor or harbor gymnasium is the name used in research for ancient baths and gymnasium in the city of Ephesus, in Asia Minor, present-day Turkey. Their ruins are part of the archaeological site of Ephesus, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

History

The known complex was built in the Roman period, possibly at the end of the 1st century AD, during the reign of Emperor Domitian. It was renovated at the end of the 4th century. However, it has been speculated that the site was reserved for a bathhouse and gymnasium already in the Hellenistic period, in the 3rd century BC, in relation to the refoundation of the city. Part of the building was excavated already in 1898.

Description

The baths were located on the north side of Arcadiana Street, near the city’s harbor, as the name indicates. They consisted of three main parts: the baths proper, the gymnasium and the so‑called Verulian Rooms.

The building was accessed from Arcadiana through a front courtyard about 45 metres long. Its east and west walls were curved. This was followed by an atrium of about 33 × 15 m. It was divided into three aisles by two rows of columns and led to the baths and the gymnasium.

The harbor baths proper occupied the western part of the complex. From the atrium one accessed the apodyterium rooms, or changing rooms, with a frigidarium (cold‑water pool) in the centre. Next were the tepidarium and the caldarium. The latter had six pools and was vaulted with vaults 18 metres high. Other rooms were used for rest, sports, games, etc.

The so‑called port gymnasium, located in the centre, was possibly known in antiquity as the Gymnasium of the Emperors. In its centre rose a courtyard with peristyle that served as a palestra, about 90 × 90 m. It was surrounded by rooms with educational purposes. A room situated to the south of the courtyard is known as the Marble Room and served as an imperial hall dedicated to Domitian.

The westernmost part of the complex, the Verulian Rooms, consisted of a large sports field surrounded by colonnades, about 220 × 240 metres. The colonnade had three aisles, and the central aisle presumably served as ksystos (plural: ksystoi, athletics track). Other sports could be practiced on the sports field. The building received its current name from Maximus Claudius Verulianus, who financed its decoration with marble panels in the 1st century, under Emperor Hadrian. However, the building itself is earlier.