the birthplace of Western philosophy

I’ve been enjoying sabbatical on the west coast of Turkey for the past week or so. Today was my first-ever visit to Miletus, the birthplace of Western philosophy, physics, scientific experiment, cartography, the calculation of solar eclipses, certain key proofs in geometry, and probably some other things I’m forgetting at the moment. It as also the hometown, of course, of Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, and Leucippus. It’s a moving visit for anyone involved in the intellectual professions.

At the time of its flourishing towards 600 B.C., Miletus enjoyed a spectacular location on a small peninsula sticking into a bay of the Aegean Sea. Over time, the area become so silted up with deposits from the Meander River that today the ruins of Miletus are surrounded by fields of what look like cotton plants in every direction. The sea now appears (by my rough eyeball estimate) to be 3 or 4 miles from the ruins. And by the way, they also uncovered a fabulous Seljuk mosque next to Miletus, dating to 1404 if memory serves. That was just unearthed and restored from 2004 through 2011, and today you would never guess the mosque was ever abandoned to the elements in that fashion. It really sparkles.

As for Miletus itself, the theater is in great condition, and the dolphin temple (of Apollo) is still recognizable for what it once was.

Below is an interesting map showing how Miletus and the adjacent bay became silted up, not long after the archaic glory years of the city.