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BATHS OF VARIUS
To
the east of the Basilica is a large structure
built of cut blocks of marble known as the
Baths of Varius. Built with its north and east
walls carved from natural outcroppings of rock,
the baths were constructed in the 2nd century
AD. and restored on numerous occasions, of
which the 40 metres long corridor covered with
mosaics from the 5th century is in evidence.
With its frigidarium, tepidarium and caldarium,
and other adjacent sections, the baths covers
a fairly large area. To the south of the baths
is a large public toilet from the Roman Period
and other structures which were unearthed
during excavations in 1969.
This
structure was possibly a gymnasium and Vedia
Faedrina, daughter of Vedius Antonius, one of
the wealthy citizens of Ephesus, and the
famous sophist P. Flavius Daminianus each had
a room added to the structure. The building
uderwent major alterations during the
Byzantine Period.
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