MILETUS
Miletus situated near the village of Akkoy, 30 km. from
Soke. Miletus was founded on a peninsula near the sea.
It had a busy harbour known as the Lions Bay. The harbour
was gradually silted up and blocked by the alluvium
brought down by the Buyuk Menderes, and caused the city
to be cut off from the sea. Miletus, once the biggest
city in Ionia, with 90 colonies on the Marmara and Black
Sea alone, fell victim to the force of the river and
became an inland town 9-10 km. away from the sea. Since
it had owed its importance and prosperity to the sea,
it then declined in importance, until the Byzantine
period when it had become a minor settlement in comparison
to its former greatness.
According to the ancient sources, the town was founded
by the lonians, and according to legend, by Miletos.
But even when the lonians arrived there, there were
traces of a settlement established before them, inhabited
by the Carians referred to in the Iliad. According to
the legend, when the forces which had arrived to help
Troy were being counted, the following quotation suggests
their orignis: Nastes commands the vulgar Carians, they
live in Miletus, on mount Phlhyran the leafy mountain,
on the shores of the Maiandros, and at the foot of the
high-peaked Mykale. Sherds discovered during excavation
testify to an early settlement.
Thus we know that the Carians were living here before
the lonians. In fact, the former, in order to prevent
the lonians from entering their city, which was under
attack, had to fight a long struggle. The lonians, coming
from Athens, were finally victorious in this struggle.
According to Heredotus, the-new arrivals intermarried
with the women of Miletus, thus forming a new generation
of citizens, which would, in the future, cause the culture
of Miletus to flower. In this fertile and sunny land
lived men of science like Thales, Kadmos, and poets
like Phokylides ad Demadokos.
This is the reason that our modern poet, the "Fisherman
of Halicarnassus" felt the necessity to say that
the culture of Ionia was born on this land, and later
born to Greece.
He reflected that we are their descendents now, accepting
them in all their worth, as the culture native to western
Anatolia, or, more appropriately, the culture of the
Aegean. The excavations which had been carrying on for
years show that the history of Miletus can be traced
to 3000 B.C. at Kabaktepe, where the temple of Athena
is situated, important finds dating from the archaic
period have been made.
Miletus fell under Lydian domination during the 6 century
B.C. When the Persians won the battle against the Lydians,
like the rest of Anatolia. Miletus fell into the hands
of the Persians, too. The inhabitants of Miletus, who
instigated the revolt in Ionia, could not hope to defeat
the Persians with only the combined forces of a few
federated towns. As was expected, in 495 B.C. Miletus
was beseiged both from the sea and land, and when they
lost the sea battle, the town was severely punished
by the Persians, and was burnt down, its population
banished. The city, which was then left in ruins, was
re-built when the Persians withdrew their forces from
western Anatolia in 479-450.B.C.
The
city was built over a peninsula, 2 km. in length, in
a northeast southwest axis, around the hill where the
theatre is situated. Naturally, the new town had extended
beyond the boundaries of the old town, and was spread
around the the two bays mentioned, in three settlement
areas. The city was a plan of Hippodamos, a native of
Miletus, who planned various other cities after this.
The town centre was planned around official buildings
such as the agora, gymnasium and buoleterion. This area
not only seperated the three settlement areas from each
other, but the three levels of civic life from one another.
The theatre was built on the slope taking advantage
of the natural elevation. The plan of the city was made
to include the future needs of the city, for which reason,
the official and religious buildings were not all built
during the same period, but were erected as need arose.
The same can be said for living quarters, which expanded
as the population rose. The southern districts, which
were built during the Hellenistic period are divided
into more massive blocks, and are seperated by two main
streets, 7.50 m. in width.
In 334B.C., Alexander the Great, having crossed the
straights at Canakkale, his army defeated the Persian
army which tried to confront him. Alexander's army conquered
all the occupied towns. When it was Miletus' turn, he
first conquered it, and then pardoned the inhabitants.
After this date, the Miletians took more care to cultivate
their colonies, and commerse flourished. It was during
this period that many of the finest buildings to embellish
the city were built.
The town was annexed to Rome after the kingdom of Bergama
(Pergamon) began losing its power. The Romans showed
great interest in this Anatolian centre of letters and
science, especially during the reign of the emperor
Claudius, his chief adviser, Capito V, Trajan and Hadrian.
The Nymphaion, the Delphinion, the northern gate of
the southern agora and the sacred way which joined the
temple of Apollon at Didyma to Miletus were all built
during this period. The town was encircled by a wall.
It had a gate opening onto the secret way and another
opening onto the harbour. During the 3th century A.D.
the city underwent much misfortune, as the alluvium
carried by the Menderes begins to fill the harbour and
to completely silt up the bay. The naval trading, which
was so essential to the well-being of the Miletans was
endangered. Worse still, the silt which filled the bay
had turned it into a swamp, and the life of the town
was mortally pestered by mosquitoes. This situation
continues to the Byzantine period, by which there remains
no trace of the once-lively Miletos, the former centre
of science. The town was by then reduced to a minor
settlement. When, in 1071, Anatolia was conquered by
the Seljuks, Miletus was first called Palatia, later
Bolat. During the reign of Menteshe Bey, the city was
re-built, and the mosque, still standing today was built
for Ilyas Bey. During the Ottoman period, the town had
finally lost all its importance, and was reduced to
the size of a small hamlet. After the earthquake of
1955, the hamlet was transported to another location,
2km. from the ruins. In former times the first building
to catch the eye of a sailor on approaching vessels
would be the magnificent theatre of Miletos.
Built
on the slopes of a 30m. high, hill, this is one of the
finest theatres of the Hellenistic and Roman period.
The marble carvings on the facade are still intact enough
to show their original magnificence. This facade was
140m. in length, and looking over the harbour in front
of it, it was 40 m. in height, together with the once
standing galleries. The hill against which it lent was
30 m. in height, and because of this, the upper part
of the theatre was supported with burtressed arches.
A flight of steps, fourteen in all on the facade of
the theatre leads to a corridor onto which a door opens
on one side. This stone-laid corridor lead to the first
section of the theatre via a flight of 14 steps. The
theatre is divided into three galeries, each section
seperated from the other by terraces. Each section had
14 tiers of seats. The galleries were arranged according
to the curve of the theatre. The lower gate leads the
spectators to their seats. The narrow steps between
the galleries are to help the spectators to find theirs
seats.
In the centre of the middle block of seats, near the
orchestra, was the imperial gallery, set apart by marble
columns. Unfortunately, the top section of this 230
m. wide theatre has suffered severe devestation, the
effect of which has been considerably added to by the
inclusion of a Byzantine fortress at the top of the
hill. The orchestra is 34m. in diameter, and is 1.5
m. lower than the auditorium, and has a marble floor.
