Brothel and Latrine, Ephesus
The brothel and public latrine of ancient Ephesus are located directly across the Marble Street from the Library of Celsus. Both date from the 1st century AD.
Brothel
The brothel originally had two floors, with ground floor entrances on both Marble Street and on Curetes Street, where an etched footprint in the marble famously shows the way.
The rooms of the ground floor, one of which has a stone bed, were built around a small atrium. The cubicles used by the girls to entertain their clients were on the upper floor.
The floor of the main reception room was covered with a mosaic of the four seasons. The personified figures of Winter (with head covered) and Autumn (with a garland of flowers) are still well preserved.
The ithyphallic figurine of Priapus or Bes, now in the Ephesus Museum, was found in a well on the side of the brother near Curetes Street. The well is still in use. Of Egyptian origin, Bes was not the god of the brothel, but the protector of everything associated with motherhood and childbearing.
Latrine
The 1st-century latrine of Ephesus was rather advanced and civilized for its time. It was constructed over a channel with an uninterrupted flow of water and the toilet seats, formed by cutting holes into marble benches that line the walls, were covered by a roof. The rest of the large room was open to the sky, and had an impluvium (a sunken pool for catching rainwater) in the center. The floor was covered with mosaics.
Map
Location map and satellite view of the brothel (north, with round rooms) and latrine at Ephesus. Using the buttons on the left, zoom in for a closer look or zoom out to get your bearings. Click and drag the map to move around. You can explore all of Ephesus from space on our Ephesus Satellite Map.
Sources
- Bernard McDonagh, Blue Guide Turkey 3rd ed. (2001), 223.
