Carved Altar Block

This carved block, belonging to an altar, preserves part of its molded decoration. Fragments like these help archaeologists reconstruct the monuments that once filled the sanctuaries and public spaces of Ephesus.

Ephesus, on the Aegean coast of Anatolia, was one of the great cities of the Greek and Roman world. Under Rome it was the capital of the province of Asia, with a population estimated at well over 100,000, and it was famous for the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders.