As time progressed, the palace was tended to less and less. By the third century, the south, east and west wings were neglected and all the attention of improvements went to the inhabited, north wing . Mosaics were replaced with overlaying mosaics and the walls and ceilings were often re-plastered. At about this time, the most well-known mosaic of the ‘Cupid on a Dolphin’ was inlaid.

The north wing was completely demolished and re-built with its own new bath suite. Historians speculate that by this time, two owners may have inhabited the palace, both needing their own sets of baths . Excavators were able to track minor alterations to the north wing up to the 280s.

Throughout the third century, the palace continued to expand, until, tragedy hit. The north and west wings were destroyed by fire. Archaeologists are able to tell this by some disfigured glass found in the palace. The roof had collapsed, the walls were stripped bare and the site was never re-built.

Abandoned by its inhabitants, the palace began to weather and crumble. Rubble began to pile up and soon the building remained only as a memory. Eventually, people began robbing the palace of its walls to be reused in other buildings.