Miletus at the Time of the Great Colonization (15 min)

Presenters

Christof Berns, University of Hamburg

Abstract

The paper will deal with the urban structure of Miletus at the time of the emergence of its colonies in the seventh and early sixth centuries B.C.E. Over the past generations, researchers have developed very different ideas about the shape of the archaic city Herodotus called the “ornament of Ionia.” While for a long time the systematic, large-scale urban planning of Miletus was associated only with the name of Hippodamos and the Classical period, since the 1990s the idea of an archaic "Great Miletus" as a uniform and integrated city already built on a grid plan has been strongly promoted though never systematically researched. The question has direct implications for any concept of Miletus's relationship to its colonies: Did the urban landscape of the mother city coin the layout of the new foundations, or conversely, did their fabric have repercussions on the urban replanning of the metropolis? In the current research program, carried out since 2021, it has now been possible for the first time to examine the chronological development of the street system with systematic excavations. At the same time, new insight into the genesis of residential buildings as well as the settlement structure have been gained. The paper will present these current results and reevaluate the older conceptions in their light.