Miletus, Temple of Athena (Building)

Peripteral Ionic temple in south-west of city, constructed on a terrace; unusual north-south orientation.

ID:
aa_260
Type:
Building
Date:
ca. -480 — ca. -450
Period:
Classical
Context:
Miletus
Region:
Ionia
Dimensions:

Dimensions of stylobate 17.20 m. x 28.20 m.; probable intercolumniation 2.09 m. Dimensions of cella ca. 15.80 m. x 9.20 m.; depth of pronaos ca. 6.28 m. Remains of the older, archaic temple indicate that the pronaos was ca. 5.90 m. wide.

Type:
Temple
Date Description

An inscription on an archaic building block refers to the cult of Athena at the site: von Gerkan 1925, 52-53. The evidence for the date of the Classical temple is fairly tenuous, but is based on the style of the fragment of an Ionic capital (now lost), the style of the ovolo molding from the fragment of an architrave block, and the overall archaeological evidence which suggests that the reorientation of the temple was influenced by the new grid plan of the city. Furthermore, the Hellenistic building activity which encroached on the Athena temenos to the west and north provides a terminus ante quem for the temenos.

Plan

Only the foundations of the temple are preserved. Its reconstruction is, therefore, hypothetical, and is based on probable proportions and assumed relationship to the foundation walls, rather than on the evidence of preserved architectural elements. The most recent proposal restores the groundplan as follows: above a massive terraced structure stood the temple, with cella, deep pronaos, and peristyle of Ionic columns. The temple was distyle in antis, with a dipteral facade of eight columns, and fourteen columns along the flanks. The earlier reconstruction showing the temple as 6 x 10 with a tall podium and frontal steps (von Gerkan 1925) is probably incorrect.

History

Finds in the area such as pottery, votives of bronze and terracotta, and bronze griffin protomes indicate that a sanctuary or cult center to Athena existed here from at least the archaic period, if not even earlier. Buildings of the Mycenaean and archaic period (houses?) are attested in the vicinity, but their relationship to the temple is unclear. In the archaic period (7th c. B.C.) a smaller temple to Athena was erected on the site, oriented east-west; this was destroyed when the [...]

Citations and Bibliography

von Gerkan 1925, 52-73; Weickert 1957, 102-132; Weickert 1959/60, 1-96; Kleiner 1968, 36-40, figs. 19-21; Mallwitz & Schiering 1968, 87-160; Dinsmoor 1975, 136-7; Mallwitz 1975, 67-90.