6 - The Vedii and Their Civic Buildings in Ephesos

Summary

The Vedii and the Flavii Vedii were major builders of civic buildings in Ephesos certainly by the second half of the second century CE. Members of the family constructed or renovated the bouleterion, Vedius' bath-gymnasium, the East bath-gymnasium, the Baths of Varius, and built harbor works. In this chapter I argue that each benefactor's choice of the kind of structure to build, together with its epigraphic and statue program, were key to his and his family's image construction. The chapter also considers the social groups or neighborhoods that a particular structure benefitted, who were its users, and how did they experience it. By the end of the second century the Vedii and the Flavii Vedii had imprinted their presence on the landscape of the city, from one end to the other.