An
Ionic city along the western coast of
Asia Minor which grew to become the most important city in the area. Originally a minuan or micenean settelment, it was abandoned with the fall of these civilizations (c. 1200
BCE). It was rebuilt by
Ionic Greeks in around 1000
BCE. When
Persia started to threathen the borders of
Ionia, it was Miletus which lead the
Ionic cities in resistance. However, Persian influence in the area increased and eventually the
Ionic cities found themselves under Persian rule. Circa 500
BCE Miletus lead the failed
Ionic rebellion against Dareius of
Persia, and was destroyed by the victorious Persians. It was rebuilt later and was even a part of the
Athenian Empire during the
Peloponesian Wars.
Miletus was the home of the first philosophical school in the world which produced people such as Thales, Anaximandros (aka Anaximander) and Anaximenes.