Mosaic Pavement

A view looking east along the 150 ft. long mosaic paving on the south side of Curetes Street.  Shops were located on the right side of the street and columns supporting a roof are on the left side of the image.

This mosaic pavement was financed by Alytarch around A.D. 400.

Curetes Street is 690 ft. long and runs from the Hercules Gate to the Library on the west.  In ancient times it was called the Embolos.  This was one of the main boulevards of Ephesus, equipped with porticoes and marble paving.  A drainage channel ran under the 30 ft. wide street.

Shops (tabernae) lay behind the 12 ft. deep porticoes on each side of the street.  Along the street, there were many inscribed bases that supported marble or bronze statues of elite citizens and benefactors of the city.