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Philipp Niewöhner

its chapel in the fifth century.46 The peristyle house had overbuilt an ancient street al-
ready in the late Roman period, and the Bishop’s Palace continued to block this and an
adjacent street, but other streets that provided access to the palace and the chapel were
among those fitted with new marble pavement, and the overall arrangement confirms
the continuity of the orthogonal grid plan.47 Another palatial mansion from the late
Roman period or late antiquity was located inside an ancient sanctuary to the north of
the former Temple of Athena.48 The temple itself seems to have gone out of use much
earlier and was also replaced with secular buildings during the late Roman or late an-
tique period.49 A shop across the street remained in use until the later sixth century.50
The Southern Baths were reconfigured around the turn of the sixth century, when
they were divided into two smaller units, probably to enable both sexes to wash si-
multaneously but separately.51 At the same time, a new hypocaust heating system was
put in on a higher level, as the original Roman hypocaust filled with water and could
not be heated any more since the flooding had started in late antiquity. Similarly, the
‘Great Church’was also built on an elevated floor level in the later sixth century.52 The
church replaced what may have been a sanctuary of the imperial cult, but continued to
use its propylon, behind which the new Christian cult building was well hidden and
would not have altered the time-honoured prospect of the Agora’ out front.
Finally, when the Byzantine city walls were built in the seventh century, the Mar-
ket Gate and the porch of the serapeion were included in the new circuit and became
the two main landward gates of Miletus (Fig. i). Whilst the colonnaded front of the
Market Gate continued to face the city, its undecorated back side was now fortified; the
westernmost of the Roman gate’s three passages gave access to a Byzantine tower, the
central passage was converted into a doorway, and the easternmost passage was com-
pletely blocked (Fig. 2).53 The porch of the serapeion that faced in the opposite, landward
direction became the outward decoration of the Byzantine city’s main gate (Fig. 3-5).54
Intentional conservation?
The above leaves no doubt that the well-preserved ancient centre of Miletus was nei-
ther abandoned nor neglected during the early Byzantine period, but one may ask
whether preservation was intentional and motivated by antiquarianism or whether it
46 Niewöhner (2015b).
47 In contrast to the widespread deterioration and abandonment of ancient infrastructure in the early Byz-
antine period; cf. Saradi (2006), pp. 186-207; Niewöhner (2007), pp. 87-88; Martens (2007), pp. 321-365.
48 von Gerkan (1925), p. 125.
49 von Gerkan (1925), p. 125; Held (2000), p. 184. For late Roman references to a cult of Athena polias at
Miletus see Herrmann (1971).
50 Niewöhner (2013a), pp. 175-181.
51 Niewöhner (2015a).
52 Niewöhner (2016a), pp. 5-35.
53 Knackfuß (1924), pp. 154-155; Niewöhner (2008), pp. 189-193.
54 Niewöhner (2013a), pp. 181-186.