The Hellenistic Fountain

     The fountain is by the side of the Theatre Court, North of the stage structure. It is the best preserved Hellenistic work of art in Ephesus. It was constructed from marble blocks and side fountain were turned into anta walls and completed with anta capitals. Two fluted columns with Ionic capitals were placed between the anta wall as supports. There was an architrave with fascia over the capitals. The architrave carried a dentil border and the line of the cornice on the exterior and a slabbed marble roof on the inside. In the inscription on one of the columns it is recorded that the, “water here was brought from Great Marnas River”. The water brought via pipes, poured into the pool through the three lion heads on the marble rear wall. The front of the fountain is simply decorated, with only the Ionic capitals. This fountain erected by the side of an important court of the city must have ben decorated with painwork, as was the case for many other structures. During the Roman period, this simple Hellenistic structure was extended by 2 meters to the front and two columns were added to its porch facing the road.