Domitian Square of Ephesus

A bas-relief featuring a delightful Winged Victory welcomes visitors to this small square adorned with a monument of Caius Memmius which was a memorial dedicated to Memmius, son of Caius and grandson of Sulla. Domitian Temple gave this area its name. It was the first temple to be built in the name of an emperor and located next to the Domitian Square.

The Polio Fountain and Memmius Monument stand opposite each other. The Polio Fountain was situated on the left side of this temple. Water brought by aqueducts is distributed from this fountain by a branching system of baked clay pipes. Richly decorated sculpture from the Hellenistic period was excavated there. The sculpture depicts Odysseus while he was blinding Polyphemus (cyclops) in order to escape from his cave.

Ephesus was granted the temple wardenship for the first time by Emperor Domitian (81-96). The temple dedicated to him was built on a terrace measuring 50 by 100 meters on the south side of Domitian Square. Not much is left of the temple. Our information on the structure comes from the remains of its foundation. The podium on which the temple was erected measured 24 by 34 meters, and it was a small prostyle ( a temple preceded by a porch with columns) and had eight columns on the short sides and thirteen columns on the long sides. Also, in front of the cella which measured 9 by 17 meters, there were four columns.

There was a row storeroom to the west of the terrace on which the temple was situated and on the side facing the square. There is a parapet consisting of two tiers of columns. There are reliefs on the columns that were discovered in another part of the city and brought back to their original location.