An ancient bathtub and statue fragments found by archaeologists in the ruins of Ephesus in Turkey
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A rare ancient find has recently been discovered in Ephesus, the Turkish city where the apostle Paul once preached.
The discovery was announced by Anadolu Agency (AA), a government-run agency in Ankara, on December 12. Ephesus is also known to be one of the seven Asian churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation.
The star of the dig was a marble tub from the Roman period, and a fragment of the body of a male statue that was reused as a paving stone.
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Archaeologist Serdar Aybek, speaking to AA, said the bath dates back to the first century AD Unlike the large public bath buildings in Ephesus, the newly opened one was probably “intended for domestic use.”
“It’s a rare find because it’s not something we often come across,” Aybek said.
Archaeological finds unearthed in Ephesus, the ancient city where the apostle Paul once preached, include a Roman-era marble tub and a piece of sculpture that was reused as a paving stone. (Art Media/Print Collector/Getty Images; Mehmet Emin Menguarslan/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“We believe it belonged to Terrace Houses and was used in the first century AD,” he added. “We found it when we were working on the theater, and its size shows that it was used in the house.”
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The tub was found near the ancient Sports Road. It probably belonged to the Ephesian Terrace Houses, where wealthy Roman families lived in luxurious houses.
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The tub was carved from Greco Scritto marble — a regional variety with distinctive black veins — and measured about 5 feet long, 2.5 feet wide and 2 feet high, authorities said.
Researchers say that Roman-era baths were probably used in private homes rather than large public baths. (Mehmet Emin Menguarslan/Anadolu via Getty Images)
After being used by a high-income household, the tub was repurposed as a water source.
Aybek also described the discovery of the image fragment, which was between the first century BC and the first century AD, as “completely unexpected.”
The statue of the unknown man was carved into many parts and assembled before being disassembled.
The piece of art dates to between the first century BC and the first century AD, archaeologists say. (Mehmet Emin Menguarslan/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Archaeologists found it upside down – and say it was used as a paving stone for the road.
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The findings come after many recent discoveries in Asia Minor related to early Christian history.
Ephesus is known for being one of the seven Asian churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation. (Mehmet Emin Menguarslan/Anadolu via Getty Images)
In October, he is 1,500 years old Christian floor mosaic it was found in Urfa, a city traditionally considered the birthplace of Abraham.
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In Laodicea – a city also mentioned in the Book of Revelation – the remains of a huge Roman council hall were unearthed this summer.
