Mouth of the Lion Harbor, Miletus Turkiye
“When he (Paul) met us at Assos, we took him in, and came to Mitylene. And sailing from thence, we came the following day over against Chios; and the next day we touched at Samos; and the day after we came to Miletus. For Paul had determined to sail past Ephesus, that he might not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hastening, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost. And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called to him the elders of the church.” Acts 20: 14 - 17
What follows is a heartfelt farewell and encouragement by Paul to be vigilant in the care of the fledgling Christian church.
We visited the archeological site of Miletus this spring. It was far drier than during our previous visits and we were able to see a few more places and structures within the site than we’ve seen during past visits. The ancient harbor mouth was dry as a bone this time instead of swampy, so we finally found the remains of one of the two marble lion statues that marked the mouth of the Lion Harbor! These lions held a chain that helped prevent enemy entry into the harbor. Less vegetation this year also meant that the foundation remains of the great Miletus Market Gate (most of which is in the Berlin Museum) was far more visible. We were also able to find the Odieon and the remains of an ancient imperial altar outside of it. I’ve no idea why we weren’t able to find it in the past - seems completely obvious now!
Visiting Miletus feels a bit adventurous each time due to less groomed trails, lots of flies / burrs / spiky brush / grazing bulls and sheep and associated droppings… and it did not disappoint this year either!!
The Roman style theater, built 250 - 225 BC, at Miletus
