Scholastica Hamamı

The Romans did not only invite aqueducts into the architecture but also the Roman bath. Romans built many baths in all cities they occupied. In large cities like Ephesus there was more than one Bath. The Various Bath and Harbor Bath are some of those they erected in Ephesus. For baths they needed lots of wood and founded a very original heating system, called Hypocaust. In Ephesus they also used the hypocaust heating system for the Terrace Houses.

The hypocaust is a floor heating system. Having a bath in the Roman time was also very important for the social life. People were meeting, chatting, doing business while having bath. A Roman bath consisted of different rooms. Such as, dressing room, cool room, lukewarm, hotroom (Sauna) ,heating room. People had to pay entrance fee for a having bath.

The bath at the Kure Street behind the Hadrians temple is called Scholatia Bath. It is in the center of Ephesus. It is known that there was a former bath, which was destroyed in the 4th Century A.D. A Christian woman named Scolostia donated and restored this bath for the people of Ephesus. As an honor that bath was named after her.

Today the different rooms and partly the heating system is visible. In the dressing room there is a statue of Scholostia in situ.