DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.47151#0440
A Archäologischer Befund und Funde
main entrance into housing unit 1 can be detected for the first time. An alcoved fountain, oriented to the west towards the peristyle
court, belonged to its decoration. The entrance leading from STG 1 to SR 1/6 was closed-off resulting in a room that was solely ori-
ented to the peristyle court SR 2. The secession of four rooms (SR 12, SR 14, SR 15, SR 18) greatly reduced the living space on the
ground floor. This loss of space was maybe compensated through the erection of two small cubicula (SR 10a, SR 10b) into the northern
hallway of SR 2. Both cubicula received a large niche on the wall facing the entrance. As representative rooms only the triclinium SR 6
and GEW C, that is formed as an exedra, remained.
The upper floor could be reached by two stairways. Since one of these staircases was situated on the outskirts of the main entrance to
SR 1, and the door to SR 1 could be locked, the rooms on the upper floor which were accessible from here were probably for rent or
inhabited separately. The connecting door between SR 8 and housing unit 4 was closed-off, an extemal use of the Service rooms to the
north of housing unit 1 and the bath SR 3 was still possible through the secondary entrance to SR 4 and the door between SR 5a and
SR 3.
In contrast to the other housing units of terrace house 2 the floors - except for the courtyard SR 2 - and the walls were not decorated
with marble, but with mosaics and wall-painting. For the upper floor there are no mosaic floors and hardly any wall painting docu-
mented, possibly due to the difficult Situation of the fmdings, though. Most of the preserved mosaic floors and wall- and ceiling-paint-
ings can be attributed to this building phase. While there are no figurative designs on the mosaics, it is noticeable that polychrome
decor schemes occur for the first time. Next to several variations of Fe/rfer-LAewezz-painting, which also exist in the other housing units,
figurative painting in SR 2 and SR 6 should be pointed out. The life-size servant figures, small theatre scenes and a mythological scene
are singulär occurrences in terrace house 2. The bath SR 3 was re-erected after total destruction, in its details it clearly differs from its
predecessor. Instead of tubuli in the south-wall a simple drainpipe was installed; the original marble panelling of the walls was imi-
tated by stucco. The niche for the labrum was moved from the east to the west wall, the room-sized niche for the tub and thepraefurnium
underneath remained in function, though.
Several complexes of finds date this building phase, that was preceded by a destruction, to the late-Severan period, probably to about
230 AD. Detailed features in the bath point to an earthquake followed by a fire.
The inventory found here gives valuable Information of the household effects in Severan times, i. e. the usage phase directly before the
destruction. The finds of pottery and glass from the rooms SR 5a and 5c are composed of kitchen- and tableware. The pots which were
levelled-in here are almost all intact, so a usage on-site can be implied. Next to the locally resp. regionally made terra sigillata, the
high percentage of glass vessels shall be pointed out. They broadened the Spectrum of tableware and were mainly used as drinking
glasses. A graffito of a name carved into a jug after the Tire with Latin letters, which are unusual for Ephesus, could be judged as an
indication for dwellers of Western origin. According to scientific analysis the jug itself was defmitely made in Ephesus. Apart from these
artefacts, animal bones and remnants of plants deliver insight into the eating habits. Thus, next to the usual native animals, exotic ani-
mals such as peacocks were available to the consumers.
The re-erection after the destruction around 230 AD was carried out rapidly and with reduced cash resources. Not only the secession
of a few rooms, the modification of the northern hallway of the peristyle and the probable leasing of part of the upper floor point to
this circumstance, but also the measures used for the renovation. Marble panelling and figurative mosaics are missing, and also the
building of the new bath was done quickly and without care. The existence of a bath indicates that the owners raise a certain claim for
representation, but especially this area could have been rented out externally, at least in part. Nevertheless, two rooms of high decora-
tive quality - SR 6 and GEW C - remain; GEW C can maybe be seen as a summer-Zrzc/zFzFzzz.
Building Phase IV’, Destruction and Abandonment
Several smaller destructions in course of the 3rd Century AD, which can probably be attributed to a series of earthquakes, left their marks
in housing unit 1. The southeastern column of the courtyard must have toppled over with part of the ceiling and was replaced by an-
other one. The polychrome mosaic floor that was partially damaged thereby was repaired with black-and-white tesserae.
The final destruction and abandonment of housing unit 1 as a representative dwelling took place in the 3rd quarter of the 3,d Century AD
due to a heavy earthquake. Because of the continued usage of a few areas, where either the rubble was removed or a new walking-
level was erected on top of the destruction layer, very little finds from the destruction period remain. Apart from a complex of finds
consisting of pottery, glass and small finds in SR 11 no further dateable room inventories exist. Some sculpture, furniture and equipment
can be attributed to the last decoration phase. A late-Hellenistic ideal female head remains among the marble sculpture; this piece like
others in terrace house 2 can be seen as an antiquity. A tri-shaped hekataion that was found in SR 2 probably stood next to the staircase
leading to the upper story and served as an apotropaic symbol.
After the destruction some of the rooms resp. areas were closed off and filled with rubble, other areas remained in use. The poor Situ-
ation of the fmdings does not allow any Statement concerning the length of this utilization phase. By the 6111 Century AD the whole area
of housing unit 1 was covered with rubble, though. Byzantine buildings were placed into this rubble, they reached across terrace
houses 1 and 2 in a west-east direction.
Sabine Ladstätter - Elisabeth Rathmayr, Translation: Ingrid Adenstedt
388
main entrance into housing unit 1 can be detected for the first time. An alcoved fountain, oriented to the west towards the peristyle
court, belonged to its decoration. The entrance leading from STG 1 to SR 1/6 was closed-off resulting in a room that was solely ori-
ented to the peristyle court SR 2. The secession of four rooms (SR 12, SR 14, SR 15, SR 18) greatly reduced the living space on the
ground floor. This loss of space was maybe compensated through the erection of two small cubicula (SR 10a, SR 10b) into the northern
hallway of SR 2. Both cubicula received a large niche on the wall facing the entrance. As representative rooms only the triclinium SR 6
and GEW C, that is formed as an exedra, remained.
The upper floor could be reached by two stairways. Since one of these staircases was situated on the outskirts of the main entrance to
SR 1, and the door to SR 1 could be locked, the rooms on the upper floor which were accessible from here were probably for rent or
inhabited separately. The connecting door between SR 8 and housing unit 4 was closed-off, an extemal use of the Service rooms to the
north of housing unit 1 and the bath SR 3 was still possible through the secondary entrance to SR 4 and the door between SR 5a and
SR 3.
In contrast to the other housing units of terrace house 2 the floors - except for the courtyard SR 2 - and the walls were not decorated
with marble, but with mosaics and wall-painting. For the upper floor there are no mosaic floors and hardly any wall painting docu-
mented, possibly due to the difficult Situation of the fmdings, though. Most of the preserved mosaic floors and wall- and ceiling-paint-
ings can be attributed to this building phase. While there are no figurative designs on the mosaics, it is noticeable that polychrome
decor schemes occur for the first time. Next to several variations of Fe/rfer-LAewezz-painting, which also exist in the other housing units,
figurative painting in SR 2 and SR 6 should be pointed out. The life-size servant figures, small theatre scenes and a mythological scene
are singulär occurrences in terrace house 2. The bath SR 3 was re-erected after total destruction, in its details it clearly differs from its
predecessor. Instead of tubuli in the south-wall a simple drainpipe was installed; the original marble panelling of the walls was imi-
tated by stucco. The niche for the labrum was moved from the east to the west wall, the room-sized niche for the tub and thepraefurnium
underneath remained in function, though.
Several complexes of finds date this building phase, that was preceded by a destruction, to the late-Severan period, probably to about
230 AD. Detailed features in the bath point to an earthquake followed by a fire.
The inventory found here gives valuable Information of the household effects in Severan times, i. e. the usage phase directly before the
destruction. The finds of pottery and glass from the rooms SR 5a and 5c are composed of kitchen- and tableware. The pots which were
levelled-in here are almost all intact, so a usage on-site can be implied. Next to the locally resp. regionally made terra sigillata, the
high percentage of glass vessels shall be pointed out. They broadened the Spectrum of tableware and were mainly used as drinking
glasses. A graffito of a name carved into a jug after the Tire with Latin letters, which are unusual for Ephesus, could be judged as an
indication for dwellers of Western origin. According to scientific analysis the jug itself was defmitely made in Ephesus. Apart from these
artefacts, animal bones and remnants of plants deliver insight into the eating habits. Thus, next to the usual native animals, exotic ani-
mals such as peacocks were available to the consumers.
The re-erection after the destruction around 230 AD was carried out rapidly and with reduced cash resources. Not only the secession
of a few rooms, the modification of the northern hallway of the peristyle and the probable leasing of part of the upper floor point to
this circumstance, but also the measures used for the renovation. Marble panelling and figurative mosaics are missing, and also the
building of the new bath was done quickly and without care. The existence of a bath indicates that the owners raise a certain claim for
representation, but especially this area could have been rented out externally, at least in part. Nevertheless, two rooms of high decora-
tive quality - SR 6 and GEW C - remain; GEW C can maybe be seen as a summer-Zrzc/zFzFzzz.
Building Phase IV’, Destruction and Abandonment
Several smaller destructions in course of the 3rd Century AD, which can probably be attributed to a series of earthquakes, left their marks
in housing unit 1. The southeastern column of the courtyard must have toppled over with part of the ceiling and was replaced by an-
other one. The polychrome mosaic floor that was partially damaged thereby was repaired with black-and-white tesserae.
The final destruction and abandonment of housing unit 1 as a representative dwelling took place in the 3rd quarter of the 3,d Century AD
due to a heavy earthquake. Because of the continued usage of a few areas, where either the rubble was removed or a new walking-
level was erected on top of the destruction layer, very little finds from the destruction period remain. Apart from a complex of finds
consisting of pottery, glass and small finds in SR 11 no further dateable room inventories exist. Some sculpture, furniture and equipment
can be attributed to the last decoration phase. A late-Hellenistic ideal female head remains among the marble sculpture; this piece like
others in terrace house 2 can be seen as an antiquity. A tri-shaped hekataion that was found in SR 2 probably stood next to the staircase
leading to the upper story and served as an apotropaic symbol.
After the destruction some of the rooms resp. areas were closed off and filled with rubble, other areas remained in use. The poor Situ-
ation of the fmdings does not allow any Statement concerning the length of this utilization phase. By the 6111 Century AD the whole area
of housing unit 1 was covered with rubble, though. Byzantine buildings were placed into this rubble, they reached across terrace
houses 1 and 2 in a west-east direction.
Sabine Ladstätter - Elisabeth Rathmayr, Translation: Ingrid Adenstedt
388
