Bouleuterion

A bouleuterion (plural: bouleuteria) is the town hall of an ancient town or city. It housed the citizens’ council, the “boule” (Ancient Greek: βουλή). But bouleuteria were not the exclusive domain of the councilors. They were also used as venues for public and semi-public assemblies.

In the polis (city) of Miletus, the Bouleuterion measured 34.8 x 55.9 meters and was located on the western side of the long avenue, from where it was also accessible. The Bouleuterion complex consisted of 3 parts: the 4-column vestibule (propylon), used as the main entrance, a courtyard surrounded by halls on 3 sides, and the auditorium, perpendicular to the courtyard, in the western part of the complex. An inscription on the auditorium revealed the donor of the building: the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes (reign: 175–164 BCE). He had the building dedicated to Apollo Didymeus, Hestia Bulaia, and the people (demos) of Miletus. The Milesian brothers Timarchos und Herakleides, who had gained a high reputation and considerable influence in the King’s court, played a mediating role in the dedication. This inscription also allowed researchers to date the building to the Hellenistic period (330/20–30 BCE).

The auditorium was the central part of the Bouleuterion and originally consisted of 18 rows of seats (the Koilon), which seated up to 1,200 people. This does not necessarily mean that the Milesian council consisted of that many people, however, as no historical nor epigraphic sources on its exact size are available. There were 6 entrances to the auditorium. Two of them were located on the rear of the building, the other 4 were in the courtyard. They all led to the same corridor. The 2 rear entrances were connected to 2 parallel staircases connecting the street level with the top row of seats. Inside the hall, 4 columns supported the roof. This small number of columns minimized visual obstruction in the auditorium. Combined with the considerable size of the building, it indicates the work of an extremely skillful builder.

The large entrance gate (or propylon) stood on a 3-level foundation. It was axis-aligned with the courtyard and the auditorium and had 3 doors. Its front consisted of 4 columns of the Corinthian order. A rectangular foundation has survived at the center of the courtyard; its superstructure, however, has been lost, and there is no consensus on its shape. What is certain is that it was an architecturally elaborate monument decorated with a relief depicting fruit garlands and ox’s skulls (a bucranium garland frieze) and with figurative reliefs showing scenes from mythology. Some suggest that the monument used to be an altar or a memorial structure. Its ornamental style dates it to the first third of the first century CE (the Augustan Age), so it was probably added to the complex subsequently.

Thanks to many architectural elements unearthed during digs from 1899 onwards, it has been possible to reconstruct the facade of the Bouleuterion. It was divided into 2 stories, the upper of which was considerably more ornamental, featuring half columns, colored relief shields, lion’s head water fountains and a metope triglyph frieze among other decorative elements. The corners of the building were equipped with pilasters. Unlike the large entrance gate, only little of the courtyard halls’ open architecture has been preserved.

In summary, the Bouleuterion of Miletus was an architecturally sophisticated building that played a very important role in the society of the polis. It was used from the Hellenistic period until approximately the Roman Empire. No traces of a preceding building have survived. Instead, the building stands on a rock surface that was leveled for this particular purpose. Any possible earlier structures were removed fully during this process.

Text: Caitlin Bamford