The byzantine palace of Ephesus, a vast administrative complex?
The so-called Byzantine Palace of Ephesus, also known by its Turkish name Sarhoç Hamam (in reference to its bathing section), is a large public building in the late Roman and early Byzantine city of Ephesus. Located about 70 meters southeast of the episcopal compound, this vast complex measures 75 by 50 meters. While its dating and purpose remain a matter of debate among scholars since its discovery, it is particularly notable as one of the few well-preserved non-religious buildings from its time still standing in Ephesus.
Franz Miltner extensively excavated the complex between 1954 and 1958. He unearthed an important thermal section in the north, and a sizable octagonal reception hall in the south, richly decorated with mosaics, paintings and marble revetments. The hall was preceded by a long vestibule with two apses to the west.
Miltner identified the remains as a Byzantine thermal complex, but his sudden death prevented a comprehensive publication of the findings.
Already in the 1960s, this identification was questioned. The size, decoration, and layout of the building led some scholars to identify it instead as the residence of a high-ranking officer, possibly the proconsul of Asia. Its construction was then attributed to the time of Diocletian, by analogy with other tetrarchic palaces. Indeed, the plan and construction techniques show similarities to the Octagon of Galerius’ palace in Thessaloniki, dated between 308 and 311. The hall with an apse would then have served as the audience hall where the proconsul presided.
Nonetheless, the dating of the building remained highly uncertain. The meticulous construction has led some to place it in the Roman period, while others argue it could date to the 7th century, suggesting that the high-ranking official responsible for its construction was not the proconsul of Asia but rather the strategos of the theme of Thrakesion.
More recently, in the 2000s, the hypothesis of the building being a bathhouse complex resurfaced, along with a proposal identifying it as the residence of the Metropolitan of Ephesus.
These new hypotheses are linked to the resumption of research in 2005. Geophysical surveys and excavations conducted in 2008–2009 have provided a deeper understanding of the building’s layout and history. They revealed that only a portion of the complex had previously been unearthed and that it extended further south (with rooms likely belonging to the domestic area) and west (with a vast courtyard).
The building’s history was also clarified, showing that it was constructed on the remains of private Roman houses from the imperial period, which were destroyed by an earthquake at the end of the 3rd century. The northern part of the complex is the oldest, dating to the 4th century, and shows numerous traces of later repairs. The southern part, including the 40-meter-long vestibule, is more homogeneous in construction, dates to the 5th century, and predominantly incorporates spoils from earlier Roman buildings. A reconstruction proposal for the octagonal hall was also put forward by B. Thuswaldner following these studies (see cover image).
The duration of the building’s use remains unclear, but it was abandoned in the 10th century. Structures from the late Byzantine and medieval periods indicate that it was then extensively reused.
