Ephesus Tours
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Private Day Tours
    • Istanbul Tours
      • Full Day Bosphorus Tours
      • Istanbul by Night: Turkish Dinner and Show
      • Half Day Classical Istanbul Tours
      • Full Day Private Istanbul Tours
      • Half Day Topkapi Palace Tours
      • Half Day Dolmabahce Palace Tours
      • Half Day Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace Tours
      • Istanbul Tours for Disabled
      • Half Day Istanbul Archeology Tours
      • Jewish Heritage Tours in Istanbul
      • Istanbul Shopping Tours
    • Ephesus Tours
      • Ephesus Tours From Izmir Port
      • Half Day Ephesus Tours
      • Full Day Ephesus Tours
      • Deluxe Half Day Ephesus Tours
      • Deluxe Full Day Ephesus Tours
      • Ephesus Tours From Istanbul
      • Ephesus and House of Virgin Mary Tours
      • Ephesus Tours for Disabled
      • Ephesus and Terrace Houses Tours
      • Ephesus and Kirazli Village Tours
      • Ephesus Tours From Cappadocia
      • Ephesus Tours From Antalya
      • Tandem Sky Diving at Ephesus
      • Microflight Tour Over Ephesus
      • Ephesus and Sirince Village Tours
      • Ephesus Tours From Kusadasi
      • Taxi from Kusadasi port to Ephesus
      • We Guarantee the Lowest Price on Private Ephesus Tours!
    • Cappadocia Tours
      • Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Tours
      • North Cappadocia Tours and Goreme Museum
      • South Cappadocia and Kaymakli Underground City Tours
      • Whirling Dervishes Ceremony in Cappadocia
      • Turkish Night Entertainment Show in Cappadocia
      • Cappadocia Tours From Istanbul
      • Cappadocia Turkish Bath (Hammam)
      • Cappadocia Horse Riding Tours
      • Cappadocia Trekking Tours
      • Nemrut Tours From Cappadocia
      • Cappadocia Mountain Biking Tours
      • Ihlara Canyon and Derinkuyu Underground City tours
    • Biblical Tours in Turkey
      • In The Footsteps of St Paul
      • Seven Churches of Revelation Tours
      • Jewish Heritage Tour in Turkey
      • Seven Churches and St. Nicholas
      • Early Churches of St. Paul and St. John
      • Seven Churches and Cave of Abraham
  • Private DMC
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Sitemap
Ephesus Tours Istanbul Tours Cappadocia Tours Biblical Tours Kusadasi Transfers

Brothel and Latrine

Home → Ephesus → Brothel and Latrine

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
please wait...
Rating: 5.0/5 (5109 votes cast)

The brothel and public latrine of ancient Ephesus are located directly across Marble Street from the Library of Celsus. Both date from the 1st century AD. Of course neither of these are a sacred site, but these less glamorous structures help bring ancient Ephesus to life.

Brothel

The brothel originally had two floors, with ground floor entrances on both Marble Street and on Curetes Street. On the latter, an etched footprint in the marble famously shows the way.

The rooms of the ground floor, one of which has a stone bed, were built around a small atrium. The floor of the main reception room was covered with a mosaic of the four seasons. The personified figures of Winter (with head covered) and Autumn (with a garland of flowers) are still well preserved. The cubicles used by the prostitutes to entertain their clients were on the upper floor.

The ithyphallic figurine of Priapus – Bes, now in the Ephesus Museum, was found in a well on the side of the brothel near Curetes Street. The well is still in use. Of Egyptian origin, Bes was not the god of the brothel, but the protector of everything associated with motherhood and childbearing.

Latrine

The 1st-century Roman Latrine of Ephesus was rather advanced and civilized for its time. It was constructed over a channel with an uninterrupted flow of water and the toilet seats, formed by cutting holes into marble benches that line the walls, were covered by a roof.

The rest of the large room was open to the sky, and had an impluvium (a sunken pool for catching rainwater) in the center. The floor was covered with mosaics.

The Latrines are interesting a communal and social activity, complete with running water for both moving waste along. Latrines used by both women and men.

The Latrines are interesting a communal and social activity, complete with running water for both moving waste along. Latrines used by both women and men.

 

Ancient brothel in Ephesus. There is an underground tunnel here that goes across the street leading to the library.

Ancient brothel in Ephesus. There is an underground tunnel here that goes across the street leading to the library.

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rating: +5877 (from 5877 votes)
Brothel and Latrine, 100% based on 5877 ratings
56 Reviews
  1. kitty1018
    8:41 am on November 2, 2009

    We had a good laugh looking at the ancient public toilet – so advanced for the time! Loved the explanation of why they kept frogs in the toilet!

    Reply
  2. thor-girlss
    8:01 am on December 7, 2009

    Saw pictures of it, glad I had the chance to see it for myself. We have a good chuckle now but 2000 years ago this was the norm.

    Reply
  3. jean
    1:24 am on December 16, 2009

    Than two dozen seats all in a row- my kids cracked up at the thought of "going" next to your neighbors. what's not to like??

    Reply
  4. DACampton
    2:08 am on December 31, 2009

    This restored public latrine gives a glimpse of the different social mores concerning going to the toilet in the ancient world… Where it was a place where conversations were had at leisure…

    Reply
  5. teniseetraveler
    7:02 pm on July 30, 2010

    i had never thought about how the ancients used the potty! this was a very eyeopening sight. i loved the strategy of having the bath house uphill and the water draining from the baths washed the refuse from the public latrine away! very clever!

    Reply
  6. red-j
    3:12 am on April 13, 2011

    Well, this was fascinating, even if a little gross. No privacy and they used sponges and running water – men and women sat on the stone cutout seats next to eachother to chat and such as they did their "business" still the plumbing was an engineering wonder for the time.. Teenage boys would really find this gross and funny!

    Reply
  7. X-Florida
    12:54 pm on April 18, 2011

    Loved the opportunity to see what life was really like in ancient Ephesus. Our wonderful guide filled us in on all the details.

    Reply
  8. triciadc
    4:19 pm on May 4, 2011

    At our second tour of Ephesus we loved returning to this amazing site in the city. There are rows of latrines carved into large segments of marble and all the men want to have their photo of them "on the throne" – this is a perfect example of the amazing sophistication of ancient Roman cities!

    Reply
  9. Gerttravelnovice
    8:36 am on February 3, 2012

    Must have been interesting to conduct business here! Gives one insight into how they functioned to conduct business here where they could not be overheard, wonder if they had any Johnny English spies in those days?

    Reply
  10. lisa o
    4:01 am on February 21, 2012

    Not what i would call a highlight but it's certainly memorable! Yet another invention we have the Romans to thank for and in all honesty these toilets were in better condition than some places we visited in Turkey !!!

    Reply
Page 5 of 6«123456»
Add New Reviews
Click here to cancel reply.

ephesus tours

The big tip is to try and go completely private. Many of the large tour companies offer private tour and they are going to charge a significant amount of money for the tour guide. However, many locations offer self-guided tours and therefore you have the ability to supply your own tour guide. Easily Book your guided private Ephesus tours, to see all the treasures of Ephesus Turkey. It's often said that Turkey has more ancient cities and classical ruins than does Greece. Well, it's true, and the Aegean coast holds a great number of sites, including Ephesus, the grandest and best-preserved of them all.

ephesustoursguide.com © 2013-2017 All Rights Reserved
Back to Top