Miletus Lion Harbor Monument
About
Two marble lions once flanked the mouth of Miletus's busiest port, a chain strung between them to seal the harbor in wartime. One lion's inscribed base declared it stood guard over the public harbor. Citizens raised a victory monument nearby after Pompey crushed the pirates in 67 BCE, later rededicating it to Augustus for his win at Actium. Coordinates are approximate, marking the harbor entrance near the theatre.
What happened here
It was put up to be argued with. Public monuments carry an inscription at eye height naming who paid, what for, and by whose authority, because being read is the whole return on the investment. People meet at them, give directions by them, and shelter under them. Children climb them. The bronze fittings are stolen often enough that they are re-attached with lead. On anniversaries the base is garlanded and the local council makes a short speech nobody listens to. Monuments also date the town for you: a run of them along one street shows which families were rising in which decade, and which ones stopped. When a family falls out of favour, the name is chiselled out and the stone is quietly reused.
In ancient writing
- Chariton, Chaereas and Callirhoe 3.2
Early Roman-era novel referencing a Milesian harbor, thought to correspond to the Lion Harbor.
Sources
Nearby
Roman Maps shows the empire frozen at 11 August 117 CE, the day Trajan died — its moment of greatest territorial extent. Explore the full map →