Baths at the western market and the Eumenes Gymnasium

The Eumenes Gymnasium must have been located to the west of the stadium. It was probably accessed through an entrance (propylon) in the western part of the stadium. This entrance consisted of a gate building with a facade comprising two columns between projecting walls (antae) and a gable above. An inscription on one of the antae honors Eumenes II (around 221–158 BCE). The gymnasium was named after this inscription, and researchers believe that Eumenes II may have funded its construction. It is believed to incorporate additional structural elements, but the building has never been excavated. Its layout and exact size are unknown and difficult to determine even with geophysical prospection. The gate building has been dated to the second century BCE, the Hellenistic period.

Today, several large, column-like masonry segments built from ashlar blocks mark the site of the Eumenes Gymnasium. The space between outer and inner ashlar masonry was filled with Roman concrete (opus caementicium). These segments used to belong to a bath complex built on top of the Eumenes Gymnasium. Because the building has never been excavated, it has not been dated nor has its layout been determined. Its similarity to the Faustina thermae and the type of masonry suggest that it was built during the middle Roman Empire (64–235 CE), however. The surviving arches of the vaults indicate that the building is buried around 3 meters deep. Two connected structures can still be identified today. The northeastern room, approximately square, has a lateral length of about 16 meters. To this day, you can see walls disappearing into the ground. Only the corners of the western room, connected to the northeastern one, have survived. They indicate a size of 26 x 18 meters. Underneath the neighboring stadium, archaeologists have found clay pipes laid towards the building; these may have supplied the bath with water. 

Text: Lisa Steinmann