Terrace Houses Ephesus

The Terrace Houses Ephesus complex was established around the 2nd century BC on the northern slope of the Bulbul Mountain on the left side of the corner of Curetes Street and Marble Street. Additionally, it’s one of the highlights of our Ephesus Private Tours and our Ephesus Shore Excursions, which can be optionally included. These massive stone walls, once used to house houses, are located opposite the so-called Pleasure House (Ephesus Brothel), which was used as a graveyard in the classical period (6th to 4th century BC).

A Brief Timeline: From Prosperity to Preservation

• 1st century BCE – 1st century CE: Initial construction as Ephesus prospers under Roman rule.
• 2nd century CE: The peak of embellishment in polychrome mosaics, mythological frescoes, opus sectile floors, and hypocaust heating systems proliferates.
• 3rd century CE: Earthquakes and economic shifts prompt repairs and functional changes.
• Late Antique/Byzantine periods: Some rooms are repurposed, partitions added, and décor simplified.
• Modern era: Careful excavations and advanced conservation have produced one of the world’s best-preserved ancient residential complexes, now protected by a modern shelter.

Where to Find Terrace Houses Inside Ephesus

As shown on the map, the Terrace Houses are located on Curetes Street, just a few steps from the Temple of Hadrian and the Library of Celsus. This protected, covered structure will immediately catch your attention when you see it.

Terrace House 1 vs. Terrace House 2

Free Section vs. Paid Museum: What is the Difference?

You’ll often hear about Terrace House 1 and Terrace House 2. As highlighted in the photo above, Terrace House 1 is free to enter but is not as well-preserved. Terrace Houses 2, which requires an additional entrance fee (15 Euros), is larger, well-preserved, and protected under a modern roof. I compare the two main sites to help you set expectations and optimize time.

Terrace Houses 1

• An earlier core with later upgrades, showing a layered history.
• Intimate scale and clear domestic zoning (reception vs. service).
• Excellent fresco bands and geometric floors illustrate an evolving sense of style.
• This is excellent for gaining insight into how different rooms interact with one another.

Terrace Houses 2

• Larger, multi-unit complex six grand houses set across multiple terraces.
• Some of the finest mosaics and wall-painting programs in Ephesus.
• Intricate heating networks, marble-clad reception halls, and grand staircases.
• Outstanding conservation shelter enables close viewing without harming surfaces.
• Excellent for gaining insight into family life in Ephesus.

Inside a House in Terrace Houses 2

We reconstruct a typical visit through one of these houses:

• Vestibule & Fauces: Narrow entry funnels guests into the social core.
• Atrium/Peristyle: The heart of the house, lightwell, water management, and staging ground for hospitality.
• Tablinum (Reception Office): Where household business and patron-client meetings occur; frequently, the most ornate.
• Triclinium (Dining Room): Seasonal dining rooms with heated floors in winter quarters and breezier summer suites.
• Cubicula (Bedrooms): Smaller, more intimate spaces with refined painting rather than heavy marble.
• Culina (Kitchen) & Service Corridor: Proximity to dining rooms prioritizes efficiency; soot traces often attest to use.
• Private Bath Suite: Caldarium (hot), tepidarium (warm), frigidarium (cold), where space allows for comfort as a status symbol.
• Workshops/Shopfronts: Some ground levels open to the street, merging domestic and commercial life.

Urban Planning and Architectural Layout

The Terrace Houses of Ephesus followed the Hippodamian style, in which houses and roads transect each other in a parallel plan. In Hippodamian planning, centrally located private villas can serve as examples of wealthy living styles in the city. Nevertheless, outside the city, life was much simpler and largely depended on the labor of lower-income citizens.

Social Class and Proximity to Administrative Areas

The Terrace Houses in Ephesus Ancient City was inhabited by the most qualified social class; therefore, the houses were also called “the house of the rich” or “palaces on the slope”.  These houses were typically located close to the city’s administrative center. “Palatine Hill Houses”, located near the imperial palace in Rome, can be seen as an example of this type of wealthy lifestyle.

Architectural Features of Terrace Houses in Ephesus

The Terrace Houses of Ephesus primarily followed a similar architectural plan known as a “Domus” (Latin for “house”). Most of these houses were three-storeyed, and each one had a door opening onto a side street. As with many of these places, they often contained a shop on the entrance floor where the owner would conduct daily business.

Central Atriums and Daily Functionality

Another common similarity of this type of house was that centrally located atriums (the courtyards) measured 25 to 50 meters. The atriums would often include a small shrine to ancestral gods. These courtyards were without ceilings to take advantage of daylight, yet no windows, so the rooms were lit through these open halls. The rainwater that came through this ceiling was collected and used elsewhere in the house. There were smaller rooms on the side of this courtyard called “Cubiculum”. These cubicles served as bedrooms, offices, libraries, dining rooms, etc.

Restoration and Earthquake Adaptation

One of the best domus was a two-storeyed structure on the second terrace, surrounded by a courtyard with Ionic colonnades dating back to the beginning of the 1st century AD. This Domus was restored and modified after the earthquake in 37 AD. 

Water Systems and Heating

While Europe was in the Dark Ages centuries later, these residents enjoyed luxuries we take for granted today. These houses had:

• Hypocaust System: A central heating system where hot air circulated under the floors and through clay pipes in the walls. Yes, they had underfloor heating 2,000 years ago!
• Running Water: Unlike the common public who carried water from fountains, these villas had private hot and cold water piped directly into their kitchens and private baths, in addition to collecting rainwater from the opening above the atrium.

Secrets on the Walls: Graffiti & Shopping Lists

The walls of Terrace House 2 tell intimate stories. Archaeologists discovered fascinating graffiti in the plaster. Unlike modern vandalism, these were notes from daily life.

The most famous one? A shopping list and a record of daily needs! It lists items such as onions and caraway seeds with their prices. There are also drawings of gladiators (the rock stars of their time) and caricatures, giving us a rare glimpse into the humor and everyday concerns of the inhabitants.

The Western Complex of Terrace Houses Ephesus

The western complex of the Terrace Houses in Ephesus consists of five luxury villas with perfectly preserved inner courtyards. The units of these houses are decorated with frescoes and comprise the largest collections of ancient mosaic floors. Most of these well-preserved mosaics date between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD. Generally, small black and white stones used in mosaics are bordered with geometrical patterns, including the depictions of Triton, Dionysos, Medusa, Nereids, and a lion.

The Largest Villas of Terrace Houses

One of the largest villas in the western complex was a two-storey house dating from between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. The total living space of this house was 900 square meters, with 12 rooms on the ground floor. In the habitable area of this house, there is an entrance hall, a courtyard, a bathroom with a bathtub, and a kitchen decorated with ornamental floor mosaics and colorful wall frescos depicting Heracles, Eros, a peacock, Ariadne, and floral motifs.

Another villa in the western complex of the Terrace Houses, Ephesus, features frescoes depicting two Eros figures, birds, and a mosaic of a Nereid. In another peristyle house in the western complex, a well-preserved fresco of seated Socrates was discovered, which is now on display in the Ephesus Archaeology Museum. A peristyle house in this part again consists of the frescoes representing Apollo and the Muses, dated to around 450 AD. 

Family Life in Terrace Houses, Ephesus

During the Roman Empire, Ephesus, the capital of the province of Asia, was the most populous city in Anatolia. Evidence shows that about 250.000 people lived there. The population of the City of Ephesus consisted of wealthy landowners whose farms were worked by slaves, rich merchants who dispatched goods from North Africa and Italy to other cities in Anatolia, sailors, laborers, craftsmen, and priests. The number of Roman citizens who made up the city leaders and equestrians was very few compared to the others.

Roman Citizenship and the Elite Class in Ephesus

Being a Roman citizen was the most essential requirement for being part of the community’s elite, and these privileged individuals resided in the city’s center. The terrace houses of Ephesus, situated in a central location, are near the main streets of the agora, baths, and Celsus Library. The comfort of these houses and the fact that no effort or expense was spared in their construction suggest that the inhabitants were not ordinary people.

The Roman Home and Its Sacred Significance

For a Roman, his family and home were considered sacred. The spirit of the family home and its protectress, Vesta, was among the most venerated of the gods. The family would have simple religious ceremonies that were adapted to new needs. Every day, prayers would be said, and the gods would be called upon for help. The father, being the head of the family, would conduct the ceremonies. Any mistake during the ceremony would result in displeasing the gods and lead to disappointment for the family.

Daily Life and Routine in a Roman Household

Meals were eaten in a religious atmosphere when wine was scattered on the floor, and incense burned. Large households typically consisted of a father, mother, children, servants, and slaves. Education was provided by the parents, who taught their children general knowledge and skills. It was usual for the family to rise early, eat a breakfast of fruit such as figs or grapes, and then go to the main streets or the agora to shop.

Visits to the Baths and Evening Meals

In the afternoons, the householders would go to the baths with their servants. After bathing and having been massaged with scented oils, it was usual to go and sit in the Apiditerium and discuss affairs of state. In the evenings, when lamps illuminated the houses, the meal typically consisted of fish, pork, or game. Meals were eaten in a semi-recumbent position on couches. The various types of couches were covered in valuable and splendid materials.

Roman Tableware and Wine Culture in Ephesus

Throughout the meal, conversation would flow, and wine was served from the “megare” bowls, made in Ephesus, or from single-handled mugs. The wine, stored in amphoras, would be poured into the drinking vessels from clover-mouthed containers by African slaves. Not only was wine consumed, but it was also used as an offering to the gods. The writer Strabon wrote that he preferred the wine of Ephesus, finding it of higher quality than that of Samos.

Status and Rights of Women in Ephesus

Women born in Ephesus were citizens but could not vote or hold a political role. Due to their limited assignments, women are less frequently mentioned by Roman historians than men. But while Roman women held no direct political power, those from wealthy or powerful families could gain influence through private negotiations. Later in the Roman Empire, divorce cases could be initiated by either partner, and women’s rights could be legally improved.

Visitor Information

Walk in the Terrace Houses, Ephesus Ancient City

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