Curetes Street is the main marble-paved street of ancient Ephesus, running from the Library of Celsus at the lower end to the Heracles Gate at the upper. In Roman times it was flanked by a colonnade of statues — emperors, governors, benefactors — set on pedestals along both sides. Enough of these have been excavated and partially restored to give a vivid sense of the street's original character: a processional way lined with propaganda in stone.
The street takes its name from the Curetes, a college of priests who performed sacrifices and processions here. Between the library and the gate, look for the Temple of Hadrian (small but ornately carved, with reliefs showing the founding myth of the city), the Trajan Fountain, and the famous brothel advertisement carved into the paving stone — a directional sign, some scholars argue, pointing toward the building across the road. The public latrines nearby, with their marble seats arranged over a channel of running water, are another highlight of the site's more irreverent features.