12.02.2024
6 Dakika
The archaeological site where the remains of the ancient city of Iasos are located on a peninsula surrounded on three sides by the sea in the Milas district of Muğla is one of the most important historical sites on the Mediterranean coast of Türkiye. Iasos, remains of which date from the Early Bronze Age to the Byzantine Empire, is an important port city in ancient Caria.
The ancient city with its three coastlines and magnificent views is a testimony to the close connection of the people living there with the sea. To understand the close connection of the inhabitants with the sea, one can refer to an amusing anecdote told by the famous historian Strabo. In the story, which tells of a concert by a traveling musician in the town theater, the audience suddenly empties as soon as the bell rings announcing the opening of the fish market. Only one elderly man remains in the audience, who has not heard the bell because of his poor hearing. The musician approaches the old man, thanks him for his appreciation of his art and expresses his sadness that all the spectators have left the theater because of the bell. When he learns that the bell has rung and the fish market has opened, the old man also hurries to leave the theater. If you want to relive the anecdote that tells of the fishing life of the inhabitants of Iasos, you can visit the Fish Market Museum of Milas Iasos, which is now located outside the city walls.
Another very popular legend describes the relationship between the inhabitants of Iasos and the sea. This legend, which has been passed down from generation to generation and is still known to the locals today, is a touching story that describes the love and fear of the coastal inhabitants towards the sea. The legend begins with a little orphan named Hermias who is called to the sea by his friends. Like all the inhabitants of Iasos, he knows that they must love and fear the sea in equal measure in order to earn a living and feed themselves, and his mother warns him not to venture too far out. The children, who eagerly plunged into the sea, soon noticed that the sea began to foam, perhaps in response to their excitement. But one of them was missing: Iasos' beloved orphan Hermias.
When she learns that the sea has taken Hermias, his grieving mother sits on the shore for days, shedding tears and waiting for her son to return. One day, during this hopeless wait, a fisherman arrives with surprising news that astonishes all the inhabitants of Iasos: he has seen Hermias. The inhabitants immediately confront the fisherman and accuse him of not having returned the child. However, the fisherman explained that this was impossible, as he had seen the child riding on the back of a dolphin, both of which looked very happy, and when he tried to approach them, they quickly moved away in the waves. Since that day, all the inhabitants of Iasos who venture into the sea wish to see Hermias riding on the dolphin's back. But days later, a bitter development shakes all the citizens: Hermias is washed ashore with a dolphin and remains lifeless. Although they had spent happy days together in the sea, the dolphin realizes that he cannot keep Hermias alive there, brings him to shore too late, but does not want to part with his friend and sacrifices himself too.
It is said that the coins found during the excavations of the city, which show a dolphin and a child figure, are based on this story. Another version of the legend tells the story of a child who befriends a dolphin and returns with it from the sea. According to legend, when Alexander the Great heard the story of the child, he took him to Babylon and ensured that he became a priest of the sea god Poseidon.
At the Archaeological Site of Iasos today, a scene symbolizing the happy days in the sea with a dolphin and a child awaits you and has been handed down to us by the inhabitants of Iasos. Who knows, you might even encounter friendly dolphins in the sea as you walk among the remains of structures such as the theater, the agora and the council.
