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FOUNTAIN OF THE
LEOCANIUS BASSUS
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FOUNTAIN OF THE
LEOCANIUS BASSUS
On the southwest corner of the
State Agora we find the remains of a fountain.
According to an inscription which was turned
up during the course of excavation,
construction of this fountain was ordered by
Gaius Laecanius Bassus in 80 AD. The facade of
this fountain constructed by Bassus, one of
the wealthy man of Ephesus, was richly
decorated,and consisted of two storeys which
faced the street. The statues of Tritons and
Muses, which were found at the fountain, are
now on display at the Ephesus Museum. Because
of the enormous size of the fountain it has
been referred to as the "Water Palace".
This fountain is connected to another fountain
which is located just opposite it to the west
of the State Agora, and also at the same time
to a storage cistern. The main section
consists of a body in the form of a semicirle
and was built in the 2nd century AD.
The
fountain underwent repairs in the reign of
Constans and Constantius II (337-350) when the
present wings were added. In inscriptions,
this structure is referred to as the Nymphaion.
It is the terminal point of the Aqueduct of
Sextilius Pollio, which was built during the
reign of Augustus between 7 -15 AD. The
aqueduct was 3.5 kilometers long, and its
remains may still be seen along the Selçuk-Aydın
highway. There was a cistern in the upper part
of the fountain, and the surroundings of the
structure were decorated with statues of the
Emperor.
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