Nation: Turkey

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MYTHS ABOUT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF MILETUS CITY

Although one should be skeptical about myths about the distant past, Pausanias made an important contribution to the origin of Mycenaean people (Paus 7.2.5). “The Milesians themselves give the following account of their earliest history. For two generations, they say, their land was called Anactoria, during the reigns of Anax, an aboriginal, and of Asterius his son; but when Miletus landed with an army of Cretans both the land and the city changed their name to Miletus. Miletus and his men came from Crete, fleeing from Minos, the son of Europa; the Carians, the former inhabitants of the land, united with the Cretans. But to resume.”
According to another version of Pausanias’ description, Kodro s” sons, Neleus and Medon, have been fighting for the throne and Neleus, who had to leave Athens, set off to the West Anatolian Coast and he founded the city Miletus (Pausanias 7.2. 1- 4). These descriptions, although cannot be proven, are just some of the few oral transmissions claiming how Miletus was founded.

THE HISTORY OF THE CITY

With the abandonment of the archaic period Acropolis following the Persian invasion in 494 BC, the Hellenistic city began to form around the Lion Harbor and the Theatre. During the Roman period, the size and shape of the Hellenistic city were preserved; however, however, there was a great increase in construction. The important public buildings dated to the Roman period are; The Faustina Bath, The Humei Tepe Bath, The Theatre, The Lion Harbor Monument, The Harbor Gate, The Capito Bath, The Gymnasium, South Agora Gate, West agora, The Stadium and Warehouse structures. The city begins to lose its feature as an important port city as a result of its being filled with alluviums carried by The Great Menderes River. Miletus became a bishopric after 537 AD and the city was gradually reduced and restricted to the Theatre and Castle environs. Miletus, which was called Palatia during the Byzantine period, went under the rule of the Turks in the 13th century, and its name changed into Balat during the principalities and Ottoman period.

THE CAPITAL OF PHILOSOPHY, SCIENCE AND ART

The progress of ancient Greek civilization in science started through the Milesian school. Anaximenes of Miletus tried to explain existence, Anaximander, the first philosopher known to have written down his studies, carved on the rocks the universal laws that are not based on Gods, and Hecataeus of Miletus, on the other hand, devoted his time on geographical works who also is known to be the first person to draw the world map.

Thales of Miletus, who was regarded as the first philosopher, calculated the timings of the equinoxes and solstices after he traveled to Egypt. He also suggested that matter was made up of several basic components and paved the way for the concept of the atom.