Miletos, the Ornament of Ionia: A History of the City to 400 B.C.E.

By Vanessa B. Gorman

Miletos stood for centuries as one of the paramount cities of the Hellenic world. It was especially famous as the most prolific mother city in Greek history, sending out at least forty-five known primary and secondary settlements into the regions of the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, while at home it became one of the main intellectual centers for Western science and philosophy. Miletos, the Ornament of Ionia provides a history of the city that takes into account the most recent scholarship, collecting and scrutinizing the sources and the interpretations of those sources for the years from the first signs of habitation until 400 B.C.E. Vanessa B. Gorman surveys the archaeological evidence for the physical city prior to 400 B.C.E., demonstrates the likely existence of Minoan and Mycenaean settlements at the site, and substantiates the fact of the Persian destruction and the refounding of the city along planned, orthogonal lines. Examining the city's various religious cults, tracing its progress through various political regimes (monarchy, oligarchy, tyranny, and democracy), and sketching the terms of subjugation under both the Persian and Athenian empires, the author provides a vivid portrait of one of the ancient world's gateways between East and West. Vanessa B. Gorman has provided a long-overdue history of Miletos. Her pathbreaking work will attract those interested in Greek history, the history of Asia Minor, or relations between the ancient Greeks and their eastern neighbors. Book jacket.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0472037773
• ISBN13: 9780472037773
• Release Date: March 2020
• Publisher: University of Michigan Press
• Length: 314 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 8.9"