Miletus

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Miletus, one of the oldest and most important settlements in Ionia, was a coastal city on a peninsula 2.5km long, with four harbours It now lies in the middle of a plain. The famous island of Lade, that saw the Persian Armada set fire to and completely destroy the Ionian fleet in 494 B.C., is now a hill 4kms west of the theatre. Tradition relates that Miletus was founded by the Ionians, led by Neleus, son of the the Athenian king Kodros. The story goes that the Greeks slew all the male inhabitants and married the widows! The city became very prosperous by the 7th century B.C.  and was the capital of the Ionian world. It was unquestionably one of the most beautiful and important cities in the ancient world. The first steps towards western culture started with the Milesians, especially in the field of exact science. The Milesian alphabet was adopted by the Greeks  towards the end of the 5th century and became the standard writing system of the Greeks, many famous figures of antiquity were Milesians, including Hippodamus the originator of the grid plan for cities adopted widely during that period. However, following the loss of their fleet at the hands of the Persians, at the battle of Lade, the city was destroyed and, whilst it did recover, it dwindled in importance in classical times. It was nevertheless one of the major metropolises of Asia in the Roman era.

The New Testament mentions Miletus as the site where the Apostle Paul in 57 A.D. met with the elders of the church of Ephesus near the close of his Third Missionary Journey, as recorded in Acts of the Apostles . It is believed that Paul stopped by the Great Harbour Monument and sat on its steps. He may have met the Ephesian elders there and then bid them farewell on the nearby beach.

 
Ampitheatre
   

 

 

The colossal bulk of the theatre standing 40m high on the sea shore must have been a truly magnificent sight as one sailed into the city. It was first constructed in the fourth century and enlarged in the Hellenistic era, eventually attaining its current proportions in Roman times. This stadium seated 15,000 people. It is still possible to walk up through structure and walk through the tunnels that led spectators to the upper seats and galleries.

 
 
 

 
   
Processional road and stoa leading to harbour and North Agora
   

 
Delphinion
  The Delphinion lies to the east of the stoa, this was the chief religious centre in the city. Apollo Delphinos was worshipped here. The dolphin was seen as an intelligent and music loving 'fish' and was sacred to Apollo. The visble remains are of a space enclosed on three sides by stoas entered through gates to the west. A round columned structure was probably the alter or shrine and there were also three curved seats and several portable  in this courtyard.  
Curetes Street

 

This is the main thoroughfare, a scared marble road, leads up through Ephesus from the Celsus library to the State Agora. It is lined by stauary and colnnaded shops. On the right as you walk up there is an octagonal tomb that recent research suggests may have been where Cleopatra was finally buried. You then pass the terraced houses now escavated, and an essential part of any visit to Ephesus. These rival Pompeii in the insight they give to the interiors of houses of this period (see below). On the left there are the Scholastikia Baths construced by a Christian lady in the fourth century.

  
 
As you process upwards there is the Temple of Hadrian on the left, an attractive edifice built in Corinthian style built by a man named P Quintilius. Then you come to the Fountain of Trajan bordering the end of the Scholastikia Baths. It is a pool flanked on three sides by a two storied building. The center was occupied by a huge statue of Trajan two stories high beneath which water emerged into the pool. Many of the staues here have been removed to the Ephesus museum.
 
Temple of Hadrian
 
 
Curetes Street
 
The marble road started at the Artemision, passed west by Vedius gymnasium, the stadium and theatre, continuing east of the agora to the libraray before ascending to the state agora.and after passing through the Magnesia gate returned to the Temple of Artemis. It was reservd for vehicles and is bordered by a late roman colonnade on the eastern side. There were steps at each end of the colonnade to enable pedestrians to walk through the colonnade.
  
Just off the top of Curetes street wher it meets the State Agora, alongside the Odeon, is the Pyrtaneion, the town hall of Ephesus with the adjoining temple of Hestia Boulaia, where burned the perpetual flame.  

In the immediate vicinity of this peculiar structure lies a triangular-shaped architectural element coming from the Door of Heracles which is at the start of Curetes Street. This sculpture represents Winged Nike, the Goddess of Victory, while she holds a plaited crown in her left hand.

    
'Socle Structure'
 
At the junction of  Curetes Street and Domitian Street on the south east corner stands an edifice showing walls with stone blocks in the rustica style. It has been referred to as the Socle structure by the excavators as it's  function is not known. It was erected in honour of C. Sextilius Pollo the builder of the Marnas aqueduct, in the reign of Augustus.
  
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Stadium

At the end of Curetes Street beyond the Domitian Street junction lie the remains of  gateway that formed the entrance to the State Agora. It was flanked on the northern and eastern sides by stoas. The north stoa is referret to as a basilica. This stoa was divided into two aisles a central nave by two rows of columns, Beneath the basilica are the remains of a single aisled Hellenistic stoa. The basilica was erected in the late Augustan age and bulls heads decorate the Ionic capitals on two sides. Later columns with Corinthian capitals were added to give extra support to the nave. The function of the basilica was probably for municipal activities and the proximity to the pyrtaneion was therefore not a coincidence.

   North stoa of State  Agora  

 
   
Odeion and North stoa of State Agora      
This building that resembles a theatre is known as the odeion. Its proximity to the pyrtaneion and state agora suggests it functioned as a bouleuterion (council chamber).The podium is not typical of a proscenium and would fit with a bouleuterion. It was likely to have been roofed and seated about 1400 people. It was erected around 150 A.D. by Publius Vedius Antoninus. Just beyond this building are some provate baths built by Flavius Damianus. On the approach road to the northern entrance to the site can be seen the Magnesian gateway, the only surviving city gate.
    
Terraced Houses
These private houses on Curetes Street have been completely excavated over recent years and are still in the process of being restored. They are in an extremely good state of preservation. These are construceted on three terraces and included a splendid domus belonging to a wealthy man and severalhouses of more middle class citizens. The front was in the  form of a colonnade and initial construction was beginning of first century A.D.. Although severly damaged by successive earthquakes reconstruction continued occupaton until the time of Heraklius (611-641 A.D.). The colonnade contained 12 shops that were two storied.
 
One enters into a peristyle courtyard surrounded by a colonnade of Doric order. The walss were covered with coloured marble that is being painstakingly repaced fro theexcavated fragments. A fountain was added and the pool remains. Behind this are a very grand hall and dining room leading to a private basilica with its original barrel vaulting still intact. Adjoining this house is another peristyle house with twelve rooms. There are numerous frescoes in very fine states of preservation and throughout all the buildings are some fine mosaics
  

 

 
 
 
Medusa
  
Dionysus
  
There is much more besides! If one wanders down the Arkadianeto the port of Ephesus one moves into the largest complex of buildings on the site, but the least excavated. The rermains of the Harbour Gymnasium and Baths are very impressive still. Beyond the ampitheatre but closed to the public is the Vedius gymnasium and Stadium. The latter, not unlike the theatre, sadly has been plundered heavily for its stone for other building projects.