One of the biggest ancient cities of the Mediterranean Ephesus, is now undergoing important restoration. The marble hall of the palace-like house in which the city’s Roman consul lived in A.D. 275 has begun to be restored, putting back together 350-square-meter walls that are now broken into 120,000 pieces.
The deputy supervisor of the ongoing excavations in Ephesus, Sabine Ladstatter, said this method was used in Italy once before, but with such a large-scale assembly will be the first in history. Excavations have been ongoing in this city for 138 years. Terrace Houses where the richest people lived are seen as the most exciting sites for excavation and restoration.
Considered to be the most important of the Terrace houses, the palatial house of Gaius Flavius Furius Aptus, the city consul, is drawing attention as a focus of excavation and restoration projects. Its magnificent 178-square-meter salon, whose walls were clothed with marble, is witnessing a major restoration. The plan is to begin with the restoration of the salon’s walls.
The walls had sunk deep into the soil over time due to numerous earthquakes. The pieces of the walls have been found through the extensive excavations, which have been going on for years. Presently the there are about 120,000 pieces that are going to be used for the restoration.
Ladstatter said they believe those pieces constitute 90 percent of the walls. She added that they are going to use laser screening to find the proper piece to put into the proper place in the wall. “What we are going to do here now is an effort to complete a puzzle composed of 120,000 pieces,” Ladstatter summarized. The restoration is expected to cost $300,000.
World’s biggest puzzle made in Terrace Houses at Ephesus,
We visited the the Terrace Houses last October. It is an extra cost on top of the regular tour into Ephesus. The houses are located within the ancient town of Ephesus. We were actually past the Houses before it was brought to the attention of the tour guide that we had paid to see them.
The painted walls, tiled floors and many more details are there to see. You can actually walked through the excavation and recovered homes. A must see.
The Terrace Houses project adds a significant extra cost to touring Ephesus. But the townhouses give you a chance to see some excellent Greco-Roman art and decor and outstanding ongoing restoration work. The houses also offer relief from the crowds and heat at Ephesus.
This part of excavations has a separate entrance and takes an extra ticket. The exposition arranged in a separate roofed pavilion and there are a lot of steps you need to pass up and down. A lot of houses and other structures are unearthed and preserved there with their unique mosaics and frescoes.
Easily the most interesting ancient site I've ever seen. The extra cost is well worth the money. A super glimpse into ancient (upper class) living.
Amazing place, and to think they are still excavating the site. Its amazing that it was built so long ago and is still in excellent condition
Awesome! Again, this is something that must be seen! Hard to imagine this type and size of city existed almost 2 thousand years ago. Many stairs and steps so be advised….
My daughter, a couple from my roll call and I went here on November 2 using a private tour. The main site was packed to the brim with tourists courtesy of the 5 ships in harbour that day but the terrace houses did not have alot of people.
Don`t cheap out- if you are going to Ephesus see the Terrace houses- an active archaeologic site well worth seeing.!
The beauty, remarkable preservation, and historical significance of Ephesus cannot be overstated. The best preserved glimpsed into the lives of the Ephesian elite lies under unassuming plastic coverings on the slope of a hill… If you have made the trek to Ephesus, spare no expense to see the Terrace Houses.