Pirates of the Aegean - Julius Caesars capture

Submitted by Iza on Mon, 03/24/2025 - 10:35

Text by our correspondent from Didim, Jay Jean Jackson, with additional contributions from Chris Evans.

It is hard to imagine when you stare across the Aegean Sea from the Turkish coastline at the many islands dotted around that the area was once controlled by a ruthless bunch of pirates over 2,000 years ago.

According to Plutarch, the Greek philosopher, historian, biographer and essayist, the small Aegean Island of Pharmacusa (now modern-day Farmakonisi, Greece), south-west of Miletus, was where Julius Caesar, then a Roman nobleman, was held captive by these pirates for 38 days.

The Aegean coast of Turkey dotted with islands, view from the acropolis of ancient Erthrae

Reimagining Didyma's Sacred Way

Submitted by Iza on Wed, 03/19/2025 - 16:48

Text by our correspondent from Didim, Jay Jean Jackson, with contributions and edits by Chris Evans

Some 2,500 years ago, the annual spring festivities were starting in Miletus. They’d taken place, and would continue to do so, for many centuries. The atmosphere around Miletus and Apollo Temple would have been electric, as the crowds gather. It is a celebration to honour the Greek God Apollo, the God of music, dance and poetry, prophecy and oracles, archery, healing, and disease. The Cult of Apollo has begun.

The Ionic Stoa on the Sacred Way in Miletus

Çatalhöyük

Submitted by Iza on Tue, 03/18/2025 - 17:40

The first time I read about Çatalhöyük was a very long time ago, in Margaret Oliphant's book "The Atlas of the Ancient World", published in 1993. However, it would take 20 years before I was able to visit this extraordinary place in person. In 2013, the time came for my imagination to confront reality, and I could finally walk on the double mound that conceals traces of a settlement from over nine thousand years ago.

Binbirkilise

Submitted by Iza on Mon, 03/17/2025 - 17:29

The intriguing-sounding name Binbirkilise, literally meaning "one thousand and one churches", actually encompasses a small area in Central Anatolia, where many ruined early Christian temples are located. Although the remains of about 50 of these churches have been identified so far, there may have been many more here in the past.

Miletus — The Birthplace of Western Philosophy?

Submitted by Iza on Mon, 03/10/2025 - 14:31

Text by our correspondent from Didim, Jay Jean Jackson, with contributions and edits by Chris Evans

Approximately 2500 years ago, there was a significant shift in the way people thought about life, the universe, and everything. Thales of Miletus moved away from mythology as a way of explaining the world and started exploring nature to understand the machinations of existence. However, he did not refute the presence of an array of gods who were believed to control every aspect of life.

I have read many articles on the fathers of philosophy, and there is much speculation about who can claim the accolade. Many authors, but not all, suggest Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle of Athens deserve the title. However, the Milesian School, comprising Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes, was pre-Socratic. Thales was born 150 years before Socrates. So, should the title not belong to these residents of the ancient city of Miletus?