The
gate with three passage ways at the right
of the Celsus Library was built in 40
A.D by the slaves Mazeus and Mythridates
for their emperor, Augustus, who gave
them their freedom.
The passages are vaulted, the front side
of the vault facing the Celsus Library
is made of black marble, while the other
side is white. A Latin inscription with
inlaid letters made of bronze is still
visible on one side of the structure.
Part of the inscription states: "From
the Emperor Caesar Augustus, the son of
the god, the greatest of the priests,
who was consul twelve and tribune twenty
times; and the wife of August Livia; the
son of Lucus, Marc Agrippa who was consul
three times, Emperor, and tribune six
times; and the daughter of Julio Caesar
Augustus, Mazeus and Mythridates to their
master and the people."
The
small area in front of the gate was used
as an auditorium. The steps around the
gate, in front of the library and the
round pedestal were used as seats. In
Byzantine Period, the walls in the small
area were built when the city walls were
reduced in length.