The Prytaneum of Ephesos

Since its discovery in the year 1955 the Prytaneum of Ephesus, its function, structure, settings, and its relation to the neighbouring administrative centre were a main subject of discussion within the archaeological community. The Ephesian Prytaneum probably belongs to the Augustan building program in the administrative quarter. As the stratigraphy and the findings of the excavations of the fifties have not been properly evaluated the date of the building and its different phases are largely unknown: There are several, even though uncertain indications for a pre-Augustan predecessor of the actual building derived from masonry style. Also, the general principle of the immovability of the hearth of Hestia indicates the same location for the earlier Prytaneum. A later restoration of the building is attested by the style of the heart-shaped composite capitals and by the quantity of brickwork. It has roughly been dated into Severan times, although this has never been proven. The date for the building`s final destruction is well documented: Since many architectural elements of the Prytaneum were built into the walls of the renovated Baths of Scholasticia, the building cannot have survived the end of the 4th century AD. The history of the building after its destruction and the use of the area in Byzantine times is again unknown. The intended research on the Prytaneum will include a proper building analysis, which will also incorporate its furnishings and fittings. The building analysis will be supported by a thorough archaeological investigation of the complex, which is going to define the different construction phases, phases of remodelling and the exact date of the destruction of the Prytaneum. In the course of this research the usage of the building after its destruction is going to be clarified. The archaeological investigations will also try to solve the questions concerning the assumed Hellenistic predecessor, especially its exact date and structure. The analysis of the building shall clarify its relation to the administrative district historically, architecturally and culturally. The proposed project focuses on a major monument in the administrative center of Ephesus and eventual earlier buildings on the site, in an area of the ancient city where many questions regarding topography and chronology still remain unsolved. Therefore, the results of this project will surely enhance our knowledge in these matters and will be a most welcome contribution to the international research interested in the culture of the Roman provinces.

Since its discovery in the year 1955 the Prytaneum of Ephesus, its function, structure, settings, and its relation to the neighbouring administrative centre were a main subject of discussion within the archaeological community. The Ephesian Prytaneum probably belongs to the Augustan building program in the administrative quarter. As the stratigraphy and the findings of the excavations of the fifties have not been properly evaluated the date of the building and its different phases are largely unknown: There are several, even though uncertain indications for a pre-Augustan predecessor of the actual building derived from masonry style. Also, the general principle of the immovability of the hearth of Hestia indicates the same location for the earlier Prytaneum. A later restoration of the building is attested by the style of the heart-shaped composite capitals and by the quantity of brickwork. It has roughly been dated into Severan times, although this has never been proven. The date for the building`s final destruction is well documented: Since many architectural elements of the Prytaneum were built into the walls of the renovated Baths of Scholasticia, the building cannot have survived the end of the 4th century AD. The history of the building after its destruction and the use of the area in Byzantine times is again unknown. The intended research on the Prytaneum will include a proper building analysis, which will also incorporate its furnishings and fittings. The building analysis will be supported by a thorough archaeological investigation of the complex, which is going to define the different construction phases, phases of remodelling and the exact date of the destruction of the Prytaneum. In the course of this research the usage of the building after its destruction is going to be clarified. The archaeological investigations will also try to solve the questions concerning the assumed Hellenistic predecessor, especially its exact date and structure. The analysis of the building shall clarify its relation to the administrative district historically, architecturally and culturally. The proposed project focuses on a major monument in the administrative center of Ephesus and eventual earlier buildings on the site, in an area of the ancient city where many questions regarding topography and chronology still remain unsolved. Therefore, the results of this project will surely enhance our knowledge in these matters and will be a most welcome contribution to the international research interested in the culture of the Roman provinces.