Stadium Miletus

The Stadium of Miletus was an ancient Greek stadium located in Miletus, in Asia Minor, present-day Turkey. Today little remains of it.

History

It was built in the Hellenistic period around 166 BC. It is thought to have been built by Eumenes II, as indicated by an inscription found in the ruins. It fits so well into the city plan that it is believed space was left for it in the new city plan as soon as it was rebuilt in 479 BC. In the 1st century BC and in the Roman period, between 100 and 200 AD, modifications and expansions were carried out on the stadium. At the beginning of the Byzantine Empire, in 500 AD, it became part of the new city wall.

Description

It was situated on the western part of the peninsula of Miletus, south of the Theatre Harbor. It was built oriented east‑west. The sports field of the stadium was rectangular, with a length of about 192.3 m and a width of about 29.6 m. The length was therefore 600 feet greater than the required dimensions of the stadium, while the width was exactly 100 feet. These dimensions correspond to those of the Stadium of Olympia. In addition to the stadium of Olympia, the Stadium of Ephesus also resembled the Stadium of Epidaurus and the Stadium of Priene.

The north side of the stadium had 20 rows of seats, which rose to a height of 8–9 meters. Remains of the stadium’s exit gate system are preserved, but its exact function is unknown. At the western end of the stadium there was a propylaeum in the Ionic style. It had two columns between the anta walls.

On the west side of the stadium was the so‑called Gymnasium of Eumenes II, which was part of the same complex. It was connected to the stadium through the already mentioned propylea. The stadium, the gymnasium and the propylea were renovated during the Roman imperial period, at the beginning of the 1st century AD. In the 2nd century AD, a large Corinthian colonnade with eight columns in two rows was built at the eastern end of the stadium.