Miletus

Miletus , ancient seaport of W Asia Minor, in Caria, on the mainland not far from Sámos. It was occupied by Greeks in the settlement of the E Aegean (c.1000 BC) and became one of the principal cities of Ionia. From the 8th cent. BC it led in colonization, especially on the Black Sea. The Milesians were strong enough to resist the Lydian kings and were not molested by the Persians. In 499 BC, however, they stirred up the revolt of Ionian Greeks against Persia; the Persians sacked the city (494 BC). Although less flourishing, Miletus remained an important seaport until the harbor silted up early in the Christian era. Miletus produced some of the earliest Greek philosophers, including Thales and Anaximander. The site was excavated by German archaeologists.

Miletus A port on the SW coast of Asia Minor of considerable antiquity. Taken by Alexander the Great (334 BCE), it became a prosperous city. Paul invited the elders of Ephesus to meet him there when he was on the way to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost (Acts 20: 15–38).