Archaeologists have uncovered the remnants of an ancient Byzantine bishop’s lavish bathhouse, dating back to the 5th to 6th centuries A.D., in ancient Olympus, Turkey. This 2,150-square-foot complex, along with a Byzantine church featuring pebble mosaics and ancient cemeteries, has provided valuable insights into the material and spiritual life of early Christians in the region. The discovery highlights the bishop’s role as both a civic and spiritual leader, with the bathhouse serving as a public service for cleanliness and health on certain days.
Gökçen Kurtuluş Öztaşkın, a professor at Pamukkale University, noted the bathhouse’s sophisticated heating system and furnace, which made it a rare find from its period. The structure, attached to the bishop’s residence, featured doors leading to the street, allowing access to ordinary citizens at specific times. The professor emphasized that the bathhouse was not solely for the bishop’s private use but also a communal resource, reflecting the bishop’s dual role in governance and spiritual leadership.
This discovery follows another significant find in Olympus, where a 5th-century Christian church was unearthed with an inscription warning that only the righteous may enter. The message,