East Gymnasium standing to the west of the Magnesia Gate, this is the first of the remains seen when entering Ephesus from this direction. On the whole it is made of square cut calcareous stone blocks and bricks.
The building with the facade on the main street had a columned propylon (entrance structure) projecting a few metres forward. Shops ranged towards the street on two sides of it served this part of the city. As during excavations a number of statues of women were found in the East Gymnasium,a multi roomed complex building, it is also called the Giris1 Gymnasium colloquially.
The Emperor’s Hall of the Gymnasium lies at the west end. Its bath has the characteristics of Roman baths. It has many rooms and areas which were classes,dormitories and sports areas for youths who were educated and trained there.
In the 6th century a church was built at the corner of the building near the Magnesia Gate so, that corner was already destroyed by then. The floor of the church which had fallen to the basement level is covered with mosaics. Excavation is going on. Restoration is not yet begun in the church or in the Gymnasium.
East Gymnasium Ephesus
East Gymnasium,
East Gymnasium was actually a bath, the gymnasium complex erected in about the 2nd century A.D. for the purpose of educating young people of Ephesus on sports, music, astronomy and social skills.
In the 6th century a church was built at the corner of the building near the Magnesia Gate so, that corner was already destroyed by then.
The East Gymnasium (130 x 107 meters) is sited on the north side of the Magnesian Gate and was probably erected in the second half of the second century C.E.
It perfectly illustrates the dual function of the institu¬tion. Adjoining the east side of the open-air exercise ground (palaestra) is a tiered lecture hall-7 The late Hellenistic “Upper Gymnasium” lay immediately to the east of the so-called State Agora. A gymnasium dated to the early Roman period is located just beside the theater, from which it takes its name.
It faced the eastern end of the Arcadiane, the great Hellenistic street running from the theater to the harbor. The intel¬lectual dimension is not as evident here because all attention is focused on the palaestra by the seat-stepped and sloped spectator area running along the wide north side. The original name of the Harbor Gymnasium was probably “Gymnasium of the Emperors.”
Surrounding the 90 x 90 meter peristyle courtyard on three sides are rooms that served the academic side of the institution. A gate in the fourth side gave access to an unusually large sports field (240 x 200 meters) known in antiquity as “Xystoi.”3™ Both of these structures were improved in the second century c,E, but date back to the first century at least. Another gymnasium lies just inside the Byzantine city wall and beside the Stadium, It takes its name from Publius Vedius Antoninus, who rebuilt it in the middle of the second century c+E.37]