Cult and Rule

The so-called Tribune in the Artemision

Temple of Domitian

Villa Complex on the Panayırdağ

 

The so-called Tribune in the Artemision

Inside the temenos of the Artemision at Ephesos a building is found which has been termed a ›Tribune‹; in spite of its prominent location, it has scarcely received any attention. Activities in the Artemision up until now have primarily concentrated on the analysis of the temple itself, whereas less emphasis has been paid to the surrounding area. Work on the Tribune which was taken up in 2009 should provide an opportunity, in addition to focussing on the individual monument, to discuss its relationship to the temenos of the Artemision, and also to extend the previous research focal point – the early period of the sanctuary – to the Roman phases of usage. The goal of the project is to clarify the function and dating, as well as the reconstruction and history of usage of the building.

 

In order to create a foundation for the work, first of all a recording of the state of the structure, in the form of an on-site measurement true to its deformation, will be carried out. Strategically placed sondages should allow conclusions regarding the history of usage and, in combination with the results of the architectural study, produce an integrated documentation of the structure. During the course of fieldwork, safety work will be undertaken, the goal being to conserve the structural content which already displays evidence of damage caused primarily by physical and biological weathering.

 

The structure is located 180 m to the west of the temple, and can with certainty be termed a component of the sacred sanctuary. The orientation of the ›Tribune‹ conforms generally to that of the temple, whereby an orientation to the temple is also implied from the west-east incline of the long side. The element of the deeply buried structure which is visible today has a rectangular ground plan and measures 39.60 × 21.64 m. Along its south, west and north sides, the building possesses substructures in the form of barrel-vaulted chambers, of which six are accessible. Initially, the only clue for the chronological placement of the building was the masonry technique, which consists of a core of opus caementitium faced with courses of hewn blocks, indicating a date of construction in the Roman period.

 

An additional result of the current investigation is represented by the excavation of ceramic material, from the foundations, datable to the construction phase. The preliminary dating, suggested by the find spectrum of the ceramic material, can be placed in the second half of the 1st century A.D.

 

After cleaning a partial area of the upper surface of the ›Tribune‹, the original substance, in spite of heavy overbuilding and reworking of the substructions, not only clearly indicates a slope which corresponds to the chambers lying below, but also much more indicates the substruction of a cavea. The cavea is inscribed within the rectangular groundplan which the outer edges of the substructures create. In 2011, the area towards the east was extended and better-preserved structures were brought to light. Beneath the circulating corridor can be seen impressions of the marble plaques which eventually are partially preserved in situ. Within the northern semi-circle of the cavea it was possible to locate a staircase outlet, displaced corresponding to the curvature, which channelled the visitors from the exterior through one of the chambers to the circular middle corridor, the diazoma.

 

Ultimately, a sondage in the assumed centre point of the cavea was laid out, in which a section of the 80 cm tall stage and the orchestra in front of it were in fact brought to light. The orchestra was fitted with an opus sectile pavement consisting of a geometric pattern with square framework and inscribed circular motifs. The front side of the stage also revealed the remains of marble facing, of which the fillets of the socle are preserved in situ. The stage building which belongs to it is assumed to be located to the east of the stage, in the area of the surrounding peach tree plantation; it was possible to identify it during the geophysical investigations.

 

Josef Keil and Dieter Knibbe identified this building as a ›cult theatre‹. The results of the current field work now allow a more precise interpretation: the building is unequivocally to be identified as an Odeion due to its furnishings as well as close architectural-typological comparisons. The cavea inserted into a rectangular groundplan, which suggests a covered roof, as well as the discovery of the elevated stage, leave no doubt as to this interpretation. Collapsed blocks from the stage building and fragments of its sculptural decoration, as well as the opus sectile flooring of the orchestra, confirm the interpretation as an Odeion.

 

Odeia functioned demonstrably as the venue of musical contests (agone). The existence of such competitions within the context of the holy games in honour of Artemis is attested at Ephesos by the victory mentions of an enkomia poet, of an actor, and of a rhetor. Based on the results of the field research of 2011, the venue of the traditional musical contests is now unequivocally identified: the building formerly known as the ›Tribune‹ inside the temenos can now be termed the Odeion in the Artemision.

 

Important information could also be obtained regarding the later phases of usage. A significant conversion phase, archaeologically attested, can be dated to the 3rd century A.D. and is substantiated in two sondages. The entrance to the previously mentioned flight of steps in the cavea was walled up at this period, suggesting that the original usage as a theatre building was abandoned. The same 3rd century period of usage is also evident in other places in one of the chambers, in which the original floor was removed when a latrine was added.

 

On the rear side of the building, a large-scale medieval period of usage could be identified, preserved in deep layers of earth directly against the structure. The high-quality ceramic material can be dated preliminarily to the 10th–15th centuries A.D. It remains to emphasise that this project offers a unique opportunity to create for the first time a continuous stratigraphy in the Artemision which extends from the middle ages to the Roman levels when the building was constructed. The current field work will be continued until 2013, and the results should be finally published in the »Forschungen in Ephesos« series.

 

Duration of Project

2009–2015

 

Financing

OeAI

 

Cooperation

 

Bibliography (selected)

  • O. Benndorf (Hrsg.), FiE 1 (Wien 1906) 92 f.
  • J. Keil, Ephesos. Ein Führer durch die Ruinenstätte und ihre Geschichte 5(Wien 1964) 52–53.
  • D. Knibbe, Via Sacra Ephesiaca I, BerMatÖAI 3 (Wien 1993) 19–20.
  • A. Bammer, Zum Standort des Partherdenkmals von Ephesos, Anadolu/Anatolia 26, 2004, 11–24.
  • U. Muss, Das Artemision von Ephesos in römischer Zeit, in: M. Şahin – I. H. Mert (Hrsg.), Festschrift Ramazan Özgan (Istanbul 2005) 250–263.
  • H. Engelmann, Inschriften und Heiligtum, in: U. Muss (Hrsg.): Der Kosmos der Artemis von Ephesos, SoSchrÖAI 37 (Wien 2005) 33–44.
  • M. Weißl, Die Geschichte der Ausgrabungen im Artemision bis 1905, in: W. Seipl (Hrsg.), Das Artemision von Ephesos. Heiliger Platz einer Göttin (Wien 2008) 49–56.

 

Contact

Lilli Zabrana

 

The Temple of Domitian

The western termination of the so-called State Agora is formed by an imperial cult temple which is constructed above a substructure which is in part two-storeyed. The main entrance to the area is located in the north, where a multi-storeyed façade, partially articulated by supporting figures, flanks a staircase leading to the temple. The area of the temple was framed by continuous colonnades, and in addition a secondary entrance has been identified in the west.

 

Although not much is preserved of the temple itself, during the excavation in 1930 the ground plan could essentially be clarified. Above a six-stepped stylobate (24 × 34 m), rose a pseudodipteral temple with cella and pronaos as well as a peristyle of 8 × 13 columns. To the east of the temple, remains of a U-shaped altar building were discovered, with a relief frieze depicting scenes of sacrifice and representations of weapons. While parts of the frieze were discovered in situ, other parts were found in a fountain in the Lower City, where they had been built in during the Byzantine period.

 

The attribution of the temple to the Emperor Domitian is due to the discovery of a head as well as other body parts from a colossal statue, found in the substructures. On the basis of these finds, the temple was associated with the epigraphically attested first neocorate at Ephesos for Emperor Domitian and his wife Domitia. After his murder and damnatio memoriae, the worship was transferred to Vespasian and eventually to the entire Flavian dynasty, and the cult continued to be maintained. According to the most recent results of research, the building might already have been begun in the Neronian period; furthermore, the attribution of the head to Titus is hardly doubted anymore.

 

After the partial excavation of the temple and the altar, the site has continued to remain the focus of far-reaching interpretations. Due to the sparse amount of archaeological finds, however, these interpretations could not be completely followed through, since until now neither the date of erection, nor the dedication, nor the duration of the cult or the destruction of the site could be determined with any degree of certainty.

 

Within the framework of the project »Cult and Ruler«, the excavations in the area of the imperial cult temple were taken up again in 2009, and a geophysical survey followed in 2010. The focus of the excavations was on the absolute-chronological classification of the building phases, in particular the period of destruction and the later usage of the site. Whereas the building materials from the temple and the altar were already completely removed, reworked or reused in antiquity, the marble slabs of the courtyard paving lying in situ have been preserved, or, where they are no longer extant, their mortar substructure is preserved. Above this lay a 15–20 cm deep burned layer, within which numerous broken pieces of the temple architecture and of statue fragments were preserved. Particularly worthy of mention are architectural blocks from the northern colonnade, which came to light where they had fallen directly onto the courtyard paving. Coins and pottery date the destruction of the temple and its colonnades to the early 5th century A.D.

 

The temple itself was demolished down to its substructure. On top of this, in the Late Antique/Byzantine period, a rectangular structure of quarry stone walls was erected, complete with massive supports in the form of pilasters on the exterior. Within the building, the floor level was raised by ca. 1.5 m by pouring in opus caementicium in layers. The extremely solid building methods suggest the character of fortifications for the building; it was probably a strategic location between the Byzantine core settlement in the former Lower City, and the hinterland.

 

The courtyard and the colonnades, moreover, were also built up in the Late Antique-Byzantine period. On the basis of the geophysical prospection, which revealed an intensive development in the east of the Imperial cult area, excavations were initiated in 2011. The excavations revealed an impressive building complex consisting of a courtyard, an elongated room with mosaic floor, a fountain and a tract for commercial use. From the originally rich decoration, bases, columns and capitals of marble are preserved, and the courtyard was also paved with marble slabs. A ca. 50 m2 room adjacent to the court at the south was particularly elaborately decorated. Here, a four-coloured mosaic floor was laid. Although only approximately one quarter of the pavement has been revealed, the decorative scheme can be reconstructed: pictorial fields, framed by an ivy leaf motif, alternate with an intertwined meander pattern. Marine creatures are depicted, with their representation being based as much on nature as on fantasy. Particularly impressive is a mythical creature with a lion’s head and body and a fish tail. To the south of the mosaic room was adjoined a three-part nymphaeum oriented in a north-south direction. The central, apse-form niche is flanked on both sides by smaller, rectangular niches, while the basin lying in front is bordered by massive slabs. The water withdrawal occurred in the east, where the overflow basin and drain channels were also located. To the west of the fountain were rooms which served a commercial purpose.

 

An initial chronological evaluation has indicated that the building was already erected in the 5th century A.D., probably not long after the destruction of the temple. The period of usage extended probably into the 6th century A.D., as it has not been possible to document more recent finds.

 

The high standard of living is expressed not only in the architecture and the decorative elements, but is also reflected in the small finds. Thus, in the commercial rooms were found not only numerous imported amphoras from a variety of regions of the Empire, but also valuable everyday objects. Two door knockers, one in the form of a Latin cross, the other in the form of a lion’s head, can be highlighted, as well as an exceptionally well-preserved early Byzantine steelyard.

  

 

Financing

OeAI

 

Bibliography

  • S. J. Friesen, Twice Neokoros. Ephesus, Asia, and the cult of the Flavian imperial family, EPRO 116 (Leiden 1993).
  • J. Keil, XVI. Vorläufiger Bericht über die Ausgrabungen in Ephesos, ÖJh 27, 1932, Beibl. 5–72.
  • P. Scherrer, Die Stadt als Festplatz: Das Beispiel der ephesischen Bauprogramme rund um die Kaiserneokorien Domitians und Hadrians, in: J. Rüpke (Hrsg.), Die Stadt als Festplatz: Das Beispiel der ephesischen Bauprogramme rund um die Kaiserneokorien Domitians und Hadrians, in: J. Rüpke (Hrsg.), Festrituale in der römischen Kaiserzeit, Studien und Texte zu Antike und Christentum 48 (Tübingen 2008) 35–65.
  • P. Scherrer, Anmerkungen zum städtischen und provinzialen Kaiserkult: Paradigma Ephesos – Entwicklungslinien von Augustus bis Hadrian, in: H. Thür (Hrsg.), »… Und verschönerte die Stadt …« – KAI KO ΣMEΣANTA THN ΠOLIN. Ein ephesischer Priester des Kaiserkultes in seinem Umfeld, SoSchrÖAI 27 (Wien 1997) 93–112.
  • H. Thür, Wie römisch ist der sog. Staatsmarkt in Ephesos?, in: M. Meyer (Hrsg.), Neue Zeiten – neue Sitten. Zu Rezeption und Integration römischen und italischen Kulturguts in Kleinasien, WForsch 12 (Wien 2007) 77‑90.

 

 

Contact

Sabine Ladstätter

 

 

Villa Complex on the Panayırdağ

Covering an area of over 4,000 m², the ruins of a monumental villa complex on the western slope of the Panayırdağ were partially discovered in 1929 and 1930 under the direction of Josef Keil and Franz Miltner. The construction, which was erected on an artificially laid out terrace, occupied a prominent position from an urban viewpoint directly above the Great Theatre of Ephesos. A peristyle court framed by 10 × 10 Doric columns, located in the north of the structure, was surrounded on three sides by rooms of differing types. An apsidal hall measuring ca. 23.00 × 10.00 m dominates the southern part of the villa; two vestibules are situated in front of it to the west. The exceptionally prestigious scale and architecture of the building, as well as its position, led quickly to its identification as the residence of a wealthy Ephesian citizen or even of a Roman provincial official, whereby the governor of the Roman Province of Asia was repeatedly considered as a possible occupant of the villa.

 

Since a continuation of the archaeological excavations failed to materialise, as did an extensive recording of the inventory and an analysis of the construction, there has been a lack of knowledge not only regarding the function of the site but also of its building history and its integration into the urban environment. Architectural-archaeological investigations in 2009 and 2010 at a niched central room immediately to the north of the villa led to selective insights into the structural organisation of this urban district. These insights indicate that, beyond the area of the villa, a number of groups of buildings and installations together constituted a prestigious district above the theatre.

 

In the course of the 2011 campaign, a systematic recording of the inventory was initiated in the apsidal room and its vestibules to the south, as well as in the region of an exedra at the northern peristyle court of the villa. During the older excavations these rooms were excavated down to the most recent floor level. Based on their architecture, location and installations, these spaces could serve as sensitive points for an initial analysis of the different phases of construction and usage of the building.

 

The results of the investigations in the region of the exedra and the northern colonnade of the peristyle courtyard supported in a number of substantial details a hypothesis already formulated by H. Thür, which postulated that a Hellenistic peristyle villa formed the oldest core of the building complex. Based on a stylistic and typological analysis of the Ionic columnar architecture of the exedra, construction as early as the 2nd century B.C. can be assumed. Pending further archaeological investigations, this is the most concrete clue so far for the development of the peristyle villa. Also particularly noteworthy is the fact that the architectural decoration of the exedra frequently manifests a similarity to Pergamene buildings from the reign of King Eumenes II (197–159 B.C.). Whether the villa grew up in close contextual connection with Pergamene control over Ephesos between 188 and 133 B.C. cannot yet be determined without further investigations.

 

In addition to these elements, preserved to the north of the area studied and belonging to a Hellenistic villa, the monumental apsidal hall to the south provides eloquent testimony for a generous extension of the structure in the course of its period of use. A first building phase seems to have emerged around the middle of the 2nd century A.D., as indicated by pilaster capitals which belong to this phase. Due to its architecture, its large size, and its dominant position within the building, the apsidal hall can be understood as a new, prestigious centre of the villa. This fact is of significance from the perspective of architectural history, as the hall therefore represents an early example of this room type as a monumental reception room or dining room beyond the framework of Imperial palace architecture.

 

At a later date, which cannot yet be more precisely defined, the apsidal hall was closed off in the west and the north by a continuous wall, while in addition at the west a vestibular anteroom was laid out. A five-stepped staircase led from the vestibule via three doorways into the hall. The floor level of the apsidal hall was now considerably higher than that of the rooms laid out to the west. This hierarchic spatial sequence culminated in the apse of the hall. Such an architectural staging of social hierarchy is a manifestation of a concept typical for the grandiose architecture of the rulers of Late Antiquity.

  

The reception of architectonic innovations understood as deriving from the aristocratic realm can be first attested in the Hellenistic era, and was frequently repeated during the Roman Imperial period. Such a phenomenon is evidence not only of the exceptional position that this structure enjoyed within the urban landscape of Ephesos, but also of the social prestige of its occupants over the course of centuries.

 

Duration of the Project

2011–2013

 

Financial Support

OeAI

 

Bibliography

  • S. P. Ellis, The End of the Roman House, AJA 92, 1988, 569 f. 576.
  • S. P. Ellis, Late Antique Houses in Asia Minor, in: S. Isager – B. Poulsen (eds.), Patron and Pavements in Late Antiquity, Halicarnassian Studies 2 (Odense 1997) 43 f.
  • F. Fasolo, L’architettura romana di Efeso, BArchit 18, 1962, 57–60.
  • S. Groh with contributions by V. Lindinger – K. Löcker – W. Neubauer – S. S. Seren, Neue Forschungen zur Stadtplanung in Ephesos, ÖJh 75, 2006, 87 f.
  • J. Keil, XVI. Vorläufiger Bericht über die Ausgrabungen in Ephesos, ÖJh 27, 1932, Beibl. 7–12.
  • F. Miltner, Ephesos, Stadt der Artemis und des Johannes (Vienna 1958) 79 f.
  • U. Outschar, Sog. Byzantinisches Banketthaus am Panayırdağ, in: P. Scherrer (ed.), Ephesos. Der neue Führer (Wien 1995) 172.
  • H. Thür, Kontinuität und Diskontinuität im ephesischen Wohnbau der frühen Kaiserzeit, in: C. Berns et al. (eds.), Patris und Imperium. Kolloquium Köln 1998, 8. Suppl. BABesch (Leuven 2002) 257–274.
  • H. Vetters, Ephesos. Vorläufiger Grabungsbericht 1979, AnzWien 117, 1980, 255.
  • H. Vetters, Ephesos. Vorläufiger Grabungsbericht 1980, AnzWien 118, 1981, 142.

 

Co-operation

  • Analysis of origin of marbles: W. Prochaska, Mining University of Leoben, Department of Applied Geoscience and Geophysics
  • 3-D-Laserscan in the central room: R. Kalasek und B. Thuswaldner, TU Vienna.

 

Contact

Christoph Baier

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