In front of the Terrace Houses on the Curetes Street of which restoration continues, the polychromie and figured mosaics made in the 4th century AD are quite well preserved.
The portico behind the columns was raised by a few steps as an inclination natural to the street was not possible here. On the left after the mosaics the small building of which only the base remains is known as the Octagon, so named because of its eight sides. The structure is the monumental tomb of the daughter of one of the important persons of the city.
The tomb chamber lies lower and is separated from the upper structure by a low vault. The entrance of the chamber was in the shape of a dromos and remained between the houses behind. In the tomb chamber there is a simple sarcophagus made of andesite. The Octagon was surrounded by richly carved columns and had a roof in the form of a pyramid. The architectural materials of the building which is not yet restored lie near it.
The inscriptions visible on the same side after passing the Octagon are the decree of Emperor Tiberius relating to the restoration of the city and particularly of the city walls after the earthquake of 17 AD. The building following this is a Byzantine fountain conctructed on top of a monumental tomb which lay in the same place. The outer side of the walls of the fountain’s pool have lozenge shaped decorations with crosses in the middle, a most significant element of the Byzantine period.
The Octagon, Ephesus
The Octagon,
Octagon was a vaulted burial chamber placed on a square pedestal with the skeleton of a 20-year old woman in a marble sarcophagus. According to an interpretation Octagon was a monument to Ptolemy Arsinoe IV who was murdered in Ephesus in 41 BC.
The Octagon, Ephesus
The Octagon, Tomb of Ptolemy Arsinoe IV
The Octagon was a burial chamber dome on a rectangular base, containing the body of a woman of 15 or 16 years old, in a marble sarcophagus. According to interpretations it is a monument and tomb of Ptolemy Arsinoe IV, the younger sister of the famous Cleopatra VII, who was murdered in Ephesus in the year 41 B.C.
Arsinoe IV was the fourth daughter of Ptolemy XII Auletes, sister of Ptolemy XIII and Cleopatra VII, and one of the last rulers of the Ptolemaic Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. When the father died, he left Ptolemy and Cleopatra as joint rulers of Egypt, but Ptolemy soon dethroned Cleopatra and forced her to run away from Alexandria.
When Julius Caesar arrived in Alexandria in 48 B.C. and sided with Cleopatra’s faction, Arsinoe escaped from the capital with her mentor Ganymede and joined the Egyptian army under Achilles, assuming the title of pharaoh. But facing Achilles and Ganymede, Arsinoe commanded to kill the soldier and putted her mentor over the army. Ganymede initially managed to achieve some success against the Romans, negotiating an exchange of Arsinoe by Ptolemy, but the Romans soon received reinforcements and inflicted a decisive defeat on the Egyptians.
Arsinoe was transported to Rome, where she was forced to appear in Caesar’s victory. Despite the tradition of strangling prisoners at the end of the holidays, Caesar forgave Arsinoe’s life and sent her to a sanctuary of Ephesus. Arsinoe lived in the temple for many years, allways cautious of the attitude of her sister Cleopatra, who saw her as a threat to the power. Her fears were well founded and in 41 B.C., at the initiative of Cleopatra, Mark Antony ordered the execution of the younger sister on the steps of the temple. She was given a funeral and a modest honorable grave.
For anyone traveling to Turkey, this site is impressive. It’s amazing that so much has been preserved and is still standing.
Ephesus Octagon Tomb
Spectacular, the historic remains of Ephesus are really a marvel of the ancient world.