The Herodes Atticus Bath
The bath complex (approximately 84m by 123m in size) was built in 135 CE by Herodes Atticus who was a close friend of Emperor Hadrian. In 125 CE, Hadrian appointed him prefect of the free cities in the Roman province of Asia. Atticus also built many famous structures, among them were the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens and the Nymphaeum in Olympia.
This Bath cost some 3 million drachma. It was the largest of the period of the Roman Empire structures. For a long period until the 17th century, travelers mistook and visited it as the ancient city of Troy.
According to the head of the excavation team and Ankara University Archaeology Department member Associate Professor Erhan Öztepe, this significant structure in the ancient city largely collapsed to the present state in an earthquake in the winter of 1809-1810.
Water is delivered to the structure through aqueducts northeast of the bath. The bath should have a gymnasium next to it according to Roman customs.
