Since
these houses are located in the town center they were
obviously occupied
by important people. The area is therefore
called the "Rich
Houses" or "Hillside Palace". Every terrace on
the stepped
street was a home entrance. All were peristyle
(with
a small pool in the center) and the rooms were
arranged around the
pool. Most houses were
three-story not higher than 20 or 25 m. Columns
were
on all sides and the floors were marble. There was
running water to
the houses, either from a fountain or along the
side.
In some houses there were even cisterns and wells. Light
came in from the
open peristyle, but not enough to keep the
houses from being dim, since
there were no windows. The houses
were lighted like the baths were. The
floors were mosaic, the
walls had frescoes or colored marble. The precious
finds from the houses are on display in the Ephesus Museum.
The houses were built up the first
century AD and were used as late as Heraclius' time (611-641) doubtless
with multiple restorations.


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