Turkish archaeologists made an unusual discovery in what was the ancient city of Ephesus, the main subject of the New Testament book Ephesians and which is also mentioned as one of the seven churches in the book of Revelation. The excavation was part of restoration work at the UNESCO World Heritage site. The Culture and Tourism Ministry is currently overseeing a project entitled “Heritage for the Future: Endless Ephesus,” with the goal to increase tourism by opening up new routes for visitors and bringing forth new artifacts for display.

One of the finds is a male statute. The statue dates around the first century AD and was originally carved in pieces, with its parts being assembled into the bigger statue, which measures around 4 feet high and 1 ½ feet wide. The statue appeared to have been repurposed, having been found face down and used as a paving stone in the roadway. The man who inspired the statue remains unidentified.

The most interesting find is a marble bathtub, which measured nearly 5 feet long, 2 ½ feet wide, and 2 feet tall. The tub appears to have belonged to Terrace Houses, where wealthy Roman families lived.  Public baths were a big part of Ephesus, with Harbor Baths in Ephesus being “one of the largest structures in the Roman world,” according to project coordinator Serdar Aybek. This particular bathtub is smaller than those used in public baths, indicating it was used for private domestic use. “It is an unusual discovery because it is not something we encounter frequently. We believe it belonged to the Terrace Houses and was used in the first century A.D. We found it during work at the theater, and its size shows it was used in a house,” Aybek told state-run outlet Anadolu Agency (AA). The tub appeared to have belonged to a wealthy family with its finely carved moldings, egg-and-dart (kyma) decoration, and sculpted lion-paw feet. It appears to have been repurposed into a fountain trough. The tub has holes cut into it to allow water flow from above and below.

According to Anatolian Archaeology, Ephesus is “one of the most intensively studied cities of the ancient Mediterranean.” The repurposed artifacts show how the city’s growing and changing urban life adapted. The practice of adapting such artifacts was common in Late Antiquity and known as “spolia.” “Together, these discoveries reinforce a central theme in the archaeology of Ephesus: continuity through adaptation,” noted Anatolian Archaeology. “Objects once created for elite display and private comfort were later stripped of their original meaning and integrated into the everyday mechanics of a living city.”