THE Yamaç Houses in the ancient city of Ephesus, near Izmir, are now puzzle central, as researchers look to fit together hundreds of thousands of pieces from mosaics to restore the magnificent pictures that used to adorn the abodes’ walls.

They might not be applying for a Guinness Record, but archaeologists are painstakingly piecing together 120,000 shards to re-create mosaics.

“This work needs patience and attention, and it looks like the puzzle game that everyone knows. The difference is that you know the picture when you are done with a puzzle; you can do it over and over again.

“Here, we are trying to complete a picture that we don’t know. It is more difficult but very exciting. We don’t understand here how the time goes by. It takes months to finish a [section],” said the head of the restoration team, sculptor and restorer Sinan İlhan.

The researchers’ work has attracted interest from a growing number of visitors that come to watch the team assemble the fragments on large tables. Of the 120,000 pieces, the team has so far succeeded in fitting together 50,000 pieces in four years as part of their “puzzle restoration.”

The Yamaç Houses, which were built in the Roman era for the rich people of Ephesus, had features that could be luxurious even for today’s houses, İlhan said.

The complex of seven villas, located on an area of 4,000 square meters, had systems like floor heating, cooling through cold water channels, marble brought from 50 quarries and ceilings decorated with gold leaves. 

The most splendid among the structures, which are also famous for floor mosaics and wall paintings, was a dining room from the house of Flavius Furius Aptus, who is thought to have been the priest at the Dionysus Temple, İlhan said.

“The dining room of the house was decorated as a prestigious hall where guests were hosted. The hall was decorated with colorful marble plaques brought from 22 quarries. The hall, which had a pool in the middle, collapsed during earthquakes like the other houses,” he said.

Many of those who come to watch also want to participate in solving the puzzle, İlhan added. “Nearly 1,000 people come here every day. They follow us curiously. Particularly Asian [tourists] are very interested in puzzle games. Some people ask us if they can do it,” İlhan said.