MILETOS - The city of Miletos, also known by the Latin form Miletus, was one of the oldest and most important settlements in Western Turkey. Originally established by Minoan and Mycenaean colonists the city was subsequently revived by the arrival of Greek colonists during the early Iron Age (around 1000 BC). In the Archaic Period (7th and 6th Centuries BC) it became very prosperous due to trade and the presence of the nearby sanctuary of Apollo at Didyma. After the Persian invasion and subsequent sack of the city in 494 BC it declined in importance. It later prospered in the Hellenistic Period (330-30 BC) and in the Roman Period it would again become a significant port city. Miletos is located in the region of Ionia, on the west coast of Turkey to the south of Ephesos. It was originally a coastal city built on a peninsula located near the mouth of the Meander River but the silting up of the river mouth in antiquity has meant that the ruins are now entirely land locked and the sea is about 5 km away. In antiquity, the peninsula on which the city was located projected into the Aegean Sea and thus the city was naturally protected on all sides except the landward side to the south which was defended by a wall. The peninsula measured 2.5 km long by 1 km wide. The Persians invaded mainland Greece twice (in 490 and 480 BC) but were eventually defeated. The city of Miletos was afterwards re-founded and became a prosperous urban centre again, probably drawing new citizens from its far-flung colonies. The new Miletos of the 5th Century BC would subsequently become a model polis or ‘city state’. The old organic form of the city was replaced by a new orthogonal right-angle plan. It was the first major town in the Greek speaking world to have this systematic urban arrangement. The design of the new city is ascribed to the famed architect Hippodamus, a native of the city, who instituted a strict grid scheme for the streets and the orientation of buildings. The new city was divided into right-angle blocks by a grid of straight streets. The northern section of the peninsula had blocks 29 m wide by 18 m deep, while the southern district had blocks nearly double this size at 44 m by 35 m. Large public buildings were constructed to fit into multiples of these city blocks. Miletos would retain this systematic plan for the next 1000 years (500 BC to 500 AD), although in the Roman period the strict adherence to the Hippodamian grid began to break down. Laid out afresh with wide streets and magnificent buildings, the city of Miletos would be renown as one of the most beautiful and important cities in the ancient world. Miletos famously had 4 harbours, three on the west side of the peninsula (the Lion Harbour, the Theatre Harbour and Athena Harbours) and one on the east. The main harbour of the city was the so-called ‘Bay of Lions’ or ‘Lion Harbour’, which provided very good shelter for ships. It consisted of a narrow inlet the entrance of which could be closed off by a chain to create a protected base for the fleet of the city. The harbour was named after two stone lions which stood on either side of the entrance to guard the approach in a protective manner. These lions, which date to the Hellenistic period, still stand in their original positions although the harbour has silted up and the lions now sit forlornly in the mud. The heart of Hellenistic Miletos was located at the landward end of the Lion Harbour. The port was dominated by the large ‘Harbour stoa’, an impressive roofed portico fronting the main market area of the city. This portico was 160 m long and built in the Doric order – 64 columns lay long the façade and there were 30 shops in the structure selling all kinds of exotic eastern products. The main religious structure in the centre of Miletos was the ‘Delphinion’ which lay near the harbour. It was sacred to Apollo Delphinios, the patron god of Miletos. This form of Apollo was associated with dolphins because of their cleverness and musical nature – appropriate for a god of music and creativity. Apollo Delphinios was protector of sailors and ships, befitting a mercantile trading centre like Miletos. Nearby to the south of the Delphinion lay the city centre of Miletos. Here was the North Agora, a large open square which took up three city blocks – shops lined the western side in the earliest times while a new stoa was built on the eastern side during the Roman period. The agora was the gathering place of all free citizens and was the scene of social life, business and politics for the polis. The stoas were general purpose buildings which provided protection from the elements where trade and political discussion could take place. The merchants, speculators and bankers at Miletos had their shops in this area. The agora also had a strong religious character with shrines and altars. Nearby was the Hellenistic gymnasium which was not only for physical education but also functioned as the centre of learning in the city. A large inscription found at the site, now in Berlin, states that the entire complex was built by King Eumenes II of Pergamon as a gift to the Milesians. The gymnasium included a large open training ground, called a palaestra, measuring 62 by 64 m. It had a colonnade around the edge, and a series of study rooms. The ephebeion, where young boys were taught, was in the centre to the north wall and had two large Ionic columns at the front. The town council chamber, or Bouleterion, of Miletos was an impressive complex on the southwest side of the agora. It was made up of different structures including: an impressive gateway, a colonnaded courtyard and an auditorium for council meetings. The facade was decorated with Corinthian columns and had a frieze showing implements of warfare. The courtyard was decorated in Doric style. The auditorium, where the council sat and where lectures and musical recitals could also be held, was covered by a wooden roof supported by the external walls and 4 additional columns inside. About 500 people could sit in this impressive covered space. An inscription states that the building was constructed at the command of Antiochos Epiphanes, the King of Seleucid Syria, which indicates that it was built sometime between 175 and 164 BC. Near the Bouleterion, to the south, was the enormous South Agora marketplace which appears to have developed during the late Hellenistic period (2nd Century BC). The area has only partially been excavated but its ground plan can be established with certainty from the visible remains. It measures a massive 164 by 196 m and had Doric arcades full of shops on all 4 sides. To the west of the main city, and conforming to the 5th Century BC Hippodamian grid plan, was the town stadium where athletic competitions would have been held. It is rectangular in plan since athletes simply ran from one end to the other. It is 191 long by 30 m wide and was capable of sitting about 15,000 spectators. The most important and most beautiful monument in Miletos is undoubtedly the enormous theatre which was built into the side of a small hill. When constructed the theatre lay on the shore of the Mediterranean but today it is on the edge of the city ruins and is surrounded by the alluvial plain of the Meander River. The theatre is the best preserved structures in the city. It was built in the 4th Century BC with enlargements made in the late Hellenistic period – at this time the theatre could seat about 5,300 spectators. During the Roman period it was expanded much further so that in its heighday, in the Second Century AD, it could seat about 15,000 people. Miletos saw much renewal in the First Century BC with the coming of Roman rule. In this period two commemorative monuments were built in the harbour. One of these was a three-stepped round structure set up by Augustus to commemorate his victory over Marc Antony at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. Some of the original sculptural reliefs still survive in situ and include the representations of tritons, minor sea-gods who were half man and half fish. The Romans created a monumental gateway leading from the harbour to the civic centre in the early 1st Century AD. This gate contained 16 columns, the main entrance being 3.86 m wide, with two smaller entrances on either side. The south agora also received an enormous gateway in the Roman period - this was very richly decorated with architectural features. The fragments are now re-erected in the Berlin Museum. The best preserved of the Roman buildings in the city is the Faustina Bath complex, erected in the name of the wife of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius (AD 161-80). The baths have been cleared of debris and are very well preserved. The prosperity of Miletos began to decline in the 3rd Century AD when the harbours silted up and became boggy marshland. Deposition of silt by the Meander River could not be halted and the great maritime city gradually found itself land locked and isolated from its main source of economic prosperity. By the 6th Century AD, during the Byzantine Period, the once great city was reduced to a very small area around the theatre. New city walls with a watch tower were constructed around this zone to guard against incursions by the Persians and the armies of Islam. The theatre itself was partially dismantled to make use of its stone for the construction of the wall. The city would gradually disappear, embedded in the river silts and largely forgotten. B.C. Archaeology travel is leading a tour of Turkey which includes a visit to Miletos. ANCIENT TURKEY: CULTURE & HISTORY A tour exploring the antiquities of western Turkey led by Dr Michael Birrell Includes: Istanbul, Gordion, Hattusas, Cappadocia, Ephesus, Priene, Pergamon, Pamukkale 29th May - 21st June 2015 $7600.00 including airfares from Australia. Itinerary: bcarchaeology/turkey.html
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 18:39:50 +0000
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