Ways of Life in the Megapolis: Miletus in a long term perspective

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Christof Berns
• Subject Area: Classical, Roman, Christian and Islamic Archaeology
• Term: from 2019 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 430624940

Miletus on the west coast of Turkey was a major megapolis of the ancient Mediterranean. It represents an important place for archaeological settlement research. The site allows us to trace exemplarily the development of an extremely big and widely linked city. However, previous investigations were concentrated either on parts of Bronze Age and Archaic Miletus or on the monumental centre of the post-classical city. The goal of the current project, on the reverse, is to open up the dynamics of settlement development away from the central public spaces in a long-term perspective from the Late Bronze Age to the end of the Roman Empire (around 1400 BCE to 400 CE). In cooperation between ENS Paris and UHH Hamburg, the specific way of life in a megapolis will be explored on three levels: The houses with their immediate neighbourhood, the overarching settlement structure, as well as the relationships to the surrounding area. Due to the lack of modern development of the city area, excellent prerequisites exist for the application of a broad, interdisciplinary spectrum of archaeological methods, which, depending on the respective problems, allows a differentiated access to the findings. Based on the results of the geophysical surveys undertaken in Miletus in previous years, we will make targeted soundings throughout the city to reconstruct the spatial and temporal dynamics of settlement development, and we will excavate detailed neighbourhood contexts understood as case studies of private space. In the analysis of the find material, we will take into account the entire house inventory as well as animal and plant remains. Data from older excavations of house contexts will provide additional information. A GIS will integrate the various sets of data, which can be supplemented by the already existing results of geomorphological research with its reconstruction of the Milesian coastline and a digital terrain model that is actually under construction. All data is provided via a geoserver with graduated access options for project participants, interested colleagues and the general public. The results of the project will be published in the form of an extensive monograph. Overall, the project will help to expand and specify our idea of the ways of life in an ancient megapolis on the example of Miletus.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: France
• Cooperation Partner: Professor Dr. Julien Zurbach