Marble Street, High Angel View, facing North, Ephesus

The ancient Greek and Roman city of Ephesus is located on the west coast of Asia Minor. In Roman Times, Ephesus had some 250,000 citizens. Ephesus was destroyed by the Goths in 263 AD, but still existed during the Byzantine period. The Marble Street was a Sacred Road encircling Mount Pion (Panayir Dagi) in antiquity, originating at the Celcus Library in the south and running northwards towards the Vedius Gymnasium, passed the Theatre. Paved, probably in the Hellenistic Period, with large regularly-shaped marble slabs and equipped with a sewage system underneath, the street had colonnades on both sides, of which the western one was raised and turned into a covered stoa during the reign of Emperor Nero (circa 54-68 AD). The narrow sidewalks served pedestrians, while the marble road served those who travelled by horse and carriage. In Byzantine times, some signs advertising the whereabouts of the Brothel, were carved on a narrow pavement. During the 4th Century AD, seats removed from the Stadium were installed as ramparts along the street. In the 5th Century AD, one Eutropis of Ephesus renovated the Street's northern section. Other sections of the road still bear the signs of Roman carriages' wheels.