Miletus Nymphaeum

The Nymphaeum of Miletus was an ancient nymphaeum dedicated to the nymphs of Miletus, in Asia Minor, in present‑day Turkey.

History

According to a Latin inscription on the nymphaeum, it was built by Marcus Ulpius Trajan. He was the father of Emperor Trajan and was proconsul of the province of Asia under the rule of Emperor Titus. However, the inscription was not made until the time of Trajan. The emperor Trajan himself visited Miletus in 114 AD, and it has sometimes been mentioned that he was the promoter of its construction. Another inscription, in Greek, states that it continued to be decorated during the reign of Emperor Gordian III in 241‑244.

Description

It was located on the eastern side of the central agora of Miletus, opposite the bouleuterion, between the gymnasium of Eudemo to the north and the South Agora. The width of the nymphaeum was about 20.3 m. The rear building had three stories and imitated the rear wall of a Roman theater (scaenae frons). Each floor in turn had four or five niches and an edicule, a small sculptural chamber resembling a temple, with an edicule above each niche and a niche above the edicule. Each niche and edicule contained a statue of a god or other figure. It is believed that the total number of statues was 27. Among the sculptures were at least Zeus, Hera, Athena, Leto, Artemis, Apollo and Dionysus.

The nymphaeum had a pond in front, about 16.2 × 6.4 m, and a smaller one behind, from which water was drawn to fill containers. Water flowed into the pond from nine mouths. The sides of the pond were flanked by attached two‑story structures that projected from the rear wall, giving the building a U shape. The attached structures had no columns. The side structures had only columns, without a rear wall.

A substantial part of the lower part of the nymphaeum has been preserved, and many of its building stones remain in place. There are sculptures of the building in Istanbul and in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.