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,
I wasn't sure what to expect, but was blown away from what I saw. These buildings were extremely well preserved and it was neat to see some of the restorers at work on the frescoes. The area is enclosed to help preserve it and you are able to walk on a glass staircase throughout the ruins. The frescoes and mosaics…
See how the rich lived in Ephesus! Amazing how much they have uncovered – but is still left to be uncovered. Gorgeous tiles, mosaic, and you get a real feel for how advanced technology was in architecture so long ago.
It is amazing to see how the scientists work to put together the ceramic pieces like a puzzle to recreate the houses like they were thousands of years ago. Well worth the extra cost to take the tour in Ephesus
Be prepared to climb lots of stairs, however well worth it!
To see their rooms with colourful wall paper similar to how we would decorate was mind blowing!
Great experience. Took me back to previous trip to Pompeii. Terrace houses is a separate entrance fee and is located inside the ruins of Ephesus. Allow 1-1 1/2 hrs. Visited with a guide. A lot of going up and down steps. Place is well taken care of and has a roof.
The in-process restoration of an ancient Terrace House provided insight to life for the wealthy in Ephesus. It was amazing (and a bit humbling) to view how they lived – the engineering, art, plumbing (yes, a "guest bath" in the entry), architecture, construction.
It's always so exciting to see a live archeological site, although work was a tad slowed down by the heat when we visited in August. Although this site was listed in many places as rigorous, I thought the Acropolis was far more physically demanding than all of the Ephesus ruins.
I also wrote about the remarkable Slope Houses in my review of Ephesus. Visitors should definitely pay the extra fee to visit them as it's an extraordinary opportunity to see an archeological site in action from such great vantage points. You can actually wander through the multi-level site and observe archeologists at work on beautiful mosaic floors.
The Terrace Houses are a must see for those of us who love to learn. The beauty of the architecture, design, and art, give us a glimpse into the lives of the people living in the thriving city of Ephesus, 2000 years ago. The excavations are amazing, and a favorite site for everyone in our party.
We were amazed with the sophistication of the multi-level ancient houses. One large room was filled with tables full of small pieces of ruins, waiting to be assembled like a jigsaw puzzle. In one room, you saw an excavated window, while an adjacent window was still sealed with debris. Many colorful frescoes and mosaics remained.