Miletus is an ancient city which seems to have been inhabited by settlers between the end of the Minoan (1600 B.C.) and the Mycenean (1200 B.C.) periods, it was an important port at the mouth of the Meander (Menderes) River, a natural outlet for Phrygian trade. That trade was carried on with Egypt and with the several colonies Miletus started on the Black Sea. Among those Cyzicus and Sinope were founded before the mid-seventh century B.C.
Quite early the city was distinguished as the residence of philosophers and historians. Thales, who lived there from 640 to 546 B.C., is credited with being the founder of Greek geometry, astronomy, and philosophy. He predicted that an eclipse of the sun would occur in 585 B.C. It did on the 28th of May. He propounded the theory that the “world stuff” retains its identity unchanging. While his “stuff” was water, that train of thought has led scientists to nuclear physics today. Anaximander was associated with Thales in Miletus. Only fragments of his work are left. They show that he believed that the universe was a totality and that its phenomena were subject to laws rather than to the whims of the gods.
The famous hetarea Aspasia grew up there. Aspasia became the mistress of Pericles; her home in Athens was the salon for a famous group of writers and philosophers including Socrates.
Miletus was sacked by the Persians under Darius in 494 B.C. and he massacred its inhabitants. It was captured again by Alexander the Great in 334 B.C. But rather than being destroyed by carnage or looting, its end, like that of Ephesus, came because its harbor silted up and its commerce stopped. Lade which was once an island off the coast is now a hill far inland, and still the Meander River carries the soil of Anatolia farther and farther out into the Aegean. The bay of Miletus in early times separated it from Priene twenty kilometers to the north and extended east as far as Heracleia on the northeast shore of the Gulf of He-racleia, now Bafa Gölü.
Today one can climb around the impressive Greco-Roman theater and the Baths of Faustina. The main pari of the city is on low ground which often is flooded and therefore hard to see clearly. The city’s most important temple was located about twenty kilometers south in Didyma (Didim). It was the Temple of Apollo, the third largest structure in the Hellenic world, outdone only slightly by the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus and the temple in Samos. Associated with it was the oracle of Apollo which rivalled the oracle of Delphi In Greece In importance.
Paul’s visit to Miletus came at the end of his third journey as he was hurrying to get to Jerusalem by Pentecost. He had chosen to put in at Miletus rather than at Ephesus because, although he wanted to see the elders of the congregation there, he did not want to spend a lot of time in Asia. One suspects Paul would have been faced with a complicated series of social and business engagements if he had stopped at Ephesus. However, although the riot at Ephesus was only a few months past also, there is no suggestion in Luke’s account that Paul stayed away because of concern about hostility he might meet there.
The elders made the trip to Miletus and Paul spoke to them warning them to be alert in keeping watch over their flock and to work to support themselves and the weak because “happiness lies more in giving than in receiving” (Acts 20:35).
He told them he was going to Jerusalem because of an Inner compulsion, but he also predicted his approaching imprisonment. (That is, if one accepts the speech as being Paul’s and not an ex post facto composition of Luke’s.) “For myself, I set no store by life; I only want to finish the race, and complete the task which the Lord Jesus assigned to me, of bearing my testimony to the gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24). He reminded them that he had been honest with them in giving them the full Christian message. Was he trying to say that this was not a mystery religion, the secrets of which were revealed only to a privileged few at the top of the priesthood? “I have kept back nothing; I have disclosed to you the whole purpose of God” (Acts 20:27).
The parting was an emotional one; the elders accompanied him to the ship feeling sorry for themselves that they would not see him again or have the encouragement and inspiration of his presence.
Miletus,
Miletus was for us one of the topics on our West Turkey tour. The ompressive old theater was great.
Don't forget to walk to the old harbor. That place is really unbeatable. This harbor was very important in those days. Now the remains are in a fantastic surrounding of nature, with many many frogs living here.
There are in the…
very interesting site. Take water and a hat, it's vast
A part from the theatre wich is greek and Roman and very close tp the entrence, the rest of the site is not well kept and one has to walk allot if one wants to see more.
Clime to the top of the theatre and walk the gallerys.
The site is very large and I recommend going with a guide/tour to get the best out of it. There is a large arena, also roman baths, temples and a mosque. There are archeologists still working on site, exploring and preserving the buildings and artifacts. As with many of these ancient sites it is not wheelchair/buggy friendly and can be…
I liked this place and took a lot of photos. I enjoyed the free time that we had to wander round the area on out own. Amazing what the early Romans and Greeks could build, and they have lasted so long.
While Ephesus is the preferred destination for tourists coming to the area (especially among the cruise ship visitors), Miletus proved to be even more exciting for our family of six. The arena is amazing and our children loved exploring the tunnels underneath the seating area. over, the ruins nearby of the former baths are spectacular! If you have more than…
One of the powerhouses of the ancient world, this place is well preserved and quite interesting to see. The layout and the location of the site are quite informative and enhance one's understanding of how such a place could have been the force that it was. GO AND SEE.
We didn't know what to expect and had low expectations since we decided to add it on to our ruin site visits, but it was well worth it. The stadium is the reason to go (not much else is there), but it's huge and very impressive. You can walk all through it and get a real sense for its size…
The site is dominated by its massive and well preserved theatre.Bus tours may be encouraged to climb this and get straight back on the bus. If you have time take the track to the right of the caravansary.(The attached restaurant offers some reasonably priced snacks).A panorama of other sights opens up.This was a major city with facilities to match.The harbour…
This is a gem of a site which for some reason has not attracted the support of western institutions. The only recently restored bit is a garish orange and white mosque which says reams about the current Turkish government. Ideal for a gentle stroll.