Εγκυκλοπαίδεια Μείζονος Ελληνισμού, Μ. Ασία

1. General Information

The Nymphaeum of Miletus is one of the most impressive fountain structures in Asia Minor. It was located at the west part of the city between the North Agora (at the south), and the Gymnasium of Eudemus and the Capito Thermae (at the north). It belongs to the type of the nymphaea with a multistorey aedicular façade designed after a theatre’s scaenae frons. It deploys in three storeys and the façade’s wall is decorated with columns, niches and aediculae, in which statues were displayed. A characteristic feature of this specific type is the existence of two waterbasins; one for the collection of water in an upper level which supplied a second draw basin in a lower level.

2. Architectural Design

As it appears from its dimensions, it should have been a particularly impossing monument. It had an elaborate three storey columnar façade of Corinthian order (20.25 m. in length) The structure has an U-shaped ground plan due to the existence of the projecting side wings. These projections were two storeyed, that is they were a storey lower than the facade and they were open (they did not have a rear wall). At the nymphaeum’s façade, niches and aediculae were formed crowned either with volutes or pediments. The alternation of these niches and aediculae was designed in such a way so that each aedicule was crowned by a niche and every niche was crowned by an aediculae. Although this solution presents some instability problems, it provides the monument’s architecture with an impressive decorative style.¹ The same design in the columnar façade is to be found at the Library of Celsus in Ephesus.

The columns of the façade were monolithic and unfluted. The pillars were either fluted or adorned with reliefs. The columns and the pillars carried the horizontal marble architrave, which lay between the two storeys. The architrave of each storey followed a crooked line, which was dictated by the façade’s architectural elements, meaning the porches and the aediculae, and in succession it expended to the side wings. It had a lavish sculptural decoration, since it was formed with multiple horizontal decorative elements, like series of astragals, Ionic and Lesbian cymation, relief floral ornaments with acanthus leaves and dentils. The frieze was adorned with relief vegetal motives depicting a vineyard. This corresponds directly to the decoration of the colonnade of the façade of the Capito Thermae in Miletus, although the details in the Nymphaeum are rendered smaller and less acute.

The statues that adorned the monument were placed inside the niches and the aediculae. The statues at the lower floor were placed in nine niches, and they had a functional apart from a decorative character, since they functioned as fountain figures spouting water to the large collective basin below (16.15X6.39 m.). In front of this basin there was another smaller basin, from where the people drew water.²

3. Sculptural Decoration

The sculptures found near the main water basin were ascribed to the decoration of the nymphaeum and they must have stood at the niches and the aediculae of the façade. The statues were smaller than life–size,³and depicted figures of gods and demigods. It is estimated that there were at least 27 figures, placed inside the 5 aediculae and the 4 niches of each storey.⁴ Assumingly, a large number of statues were also placed at the side wings. The restoration of the decoration, as well as the original setting of the statues are purely hypothetical, however the iconographical program must have included the local Pantheon of Miletus.⁵

The sculpture was arranged according to a certain hierarchy. At the lower floor were placed the seated figures and the figures related to water either by function (water spouting figures) or by theme. At the second and third floors there were statues of the Olympian gods, gods of the local pantheon of Miletus, mythical heroes, as well as portrait statues of the imperial family and the families of the donors.

Thus, at the first floor, was placed the figure which probable depicted the god Poseidon.⁶ At the right and left side of the god, there were figures related with the sea: a Nymph holding a vessel⁷and a Nymph holding an oar.⁸ Beside them stood figures, probably holding Amaltheia's horn, offering their blessing for prosperity and fertility. These statues functioned as fountain figures, spouting water into the large basin in front of them.

An enthroned statue of Zeus would have been placed at the second floor.⁹ It is possible that this is relevant to a fragment of a colossal sphere, with a large dowel’s hole, which the excavators had suggested that it may come from a large statue of Atlas.¹⁰ However, this is not possible, since no Atlas statue has been discovered so far in a nymphaeum either in the Eastern, or in the Western part of the Empire. Most probably Zeus was represented throned, in the statue type of the Olympian Zeus holding the scepter and the cosmic sphere.¹¹

Among the mythological – idealistic figures one can recognize goddesses such as Athena, Aphrodite,¹² and Artemis,¹³ gods like Apollo¹⁴and Dionysus¹⁵ as well as Heracles¹⁶ and Asclepios,¹⁷ the Muses,¹⁸ Nymphs and Satyrs.

The third floor was added during the reign of Gordianus III. Most probably it housed portrait statues of the imperial family, the patrons, and statues of mythical heroes of Miletus.¹⁹ There were also were figures that seemed to form pairs. These were probable placed on the side wings of the Nymphaeum and portrayed two female figures wearing a chiton, leaving the shoulder naked. Two naked male figures were probably portraits of the two patrons of the building, Ulpius Traianus, the father of the emperor Trajan (98-111 AD ) and the roman proconsul L. Egnatius Victor Lollianus,²⁰ who lived around the mid-3^rd century AD. From all these figures only scanty fragments are preserved .²¹

4. Date and state of preservation

The architrave of the lower floor bears a Latin inscription, which states that the Nymphaeum was built by Marcus Victor Traianus, father of the emperor Trajan (98-117 AD), who among other offices, was also the proconsul of the province of Asia during the reign of emperor Titus (79-81 AD).²² The inscription was however carved during the Trajan period. It seems that the two lower storeys were erected at the end of the Flavian dynasty. Another inscription of the third storey’s architrave is written in Greek and refers to the embellishment of the Nymphaeum by the emperor Gordian III (238-244 AD) during 241-244 AD.²³ However, there are doubts whether this embellishment also included the statues, which adorned the monument.²⁴ The edifice is today preserved in a good condition. A large part of the marble architectural members of the Nymphaeum were uncovered during excavations. Most of them are today preserved in the area. From the lavish façade of the first storey the central and two out of four arched niches at the south are preserved. Regarding the sculptural decoration of the monument, most of the statues remain in Miletus, while some other have been transferred to Constantinople and Berlin.

1. Gros, P., L’Architecture Romaine du début du IIIe siècle av.J.-C. à la fin du Haut-Empire 1 (Les Monuments Publics, 1996), p. 428.

2. Regarding the architecture of the Nymphaeum see Kästner, V., Milet. Eine antike Metropole (Berlin 1999), p. 18· Ward-Perkins, J.B., Roman imperial Architecture (New Haven – London 1981), p. 299· Hülsen, J., Das Nymphaeum (Milet 1.5, Leipzig 1919).

3. The sculptures differ in height, a feature connected with the original position where these stood.

4. Apart from the figures identified, there are a number of fragments and body parts, which do not belong anywhere, thus increasing the number of the figures, which must have stood at the Nymphaeum.

5. Gros, P., L’Architecture Romaine du début du IIIe siècle av.J.-C. à la fin du Haut-Empire 1 (Les Monuments Publics, 1996), p. 429.

6. Fragments of a male statue’s abdomen. It depicted a naked and seated man, probably Poseidon. The figure was of big size and it might have been placed in one of the central niches of the Nymphaeum. Hülsen, J., Das Nymphaeum (Milet 1.5, Leipzig 1919), p. 66, no. 18, fig. 18.

7. Headless figure of a half-naked Nymph. She wears a himation around the hips, that covers partly the pillar on which she leans. She holds a water vessel supported at the pillar. The vessel is placed across, so the spectator could see its outlet, from where the water spouts. See Hülsen, J., Das Nymphaeum (Milet 1.5, Leipzig 1919), p. 60, no. 7, fig.. 7· Thompson, H.Α., “Excavations in the Athenian Agora”, Hesperia 22, (1953), p. 54, note 56· Kapossy, B., Brunnenfiguren der hellenistischen und römischen Zeit (1969), p. 14.

8. Marble female figure. She wears a short chiton (chitoniskos), that leaves the right shoulder and the breast uncovered. The himation is wrapped around the hips. The bend left hand holds a ship’s oar. It is a Nymph, that is depicted as “Euploia”, that is a protector of the sea journeys. Hülsen, J., Das Nymphaeum (Milet 1.5, Leipzig 1919), p. 56, no. 3, fig. 3.

9. Marble part of a male figure, depicted seated on a rock. The himation was thrown on the thighs, covering part of the rock. It might represent Zeus. Hülsen, J., Das Nymphaeum (Milet, 1.5, Leipzig 1919), p. 66, no. 19, fig. 19.

10. Hülsen, J., Das Nymphaeum (Milet 1.5, Leipzig 1919), p. 68, no. 25.

11. According to another view it could also be a throne depiction of the Emperor, in the statue type of the Olympian Zeus, Αριστοδήμου, Γ. Ο Γλυπτός Διάκοσμος νυμφαίων και κρηνών στο ανατολικό τμήμα της ρωμαϊκής αυτοκρατορίας, Διδ.Διατριβή, Α.Π.Θ. (Θεσσαλονίκη, 2008) p.190, 378-379.

12. Among these figures, parts of a female statue with a bird can be recognized. One of the fragments consists of the hips with part of the himation and a part of the bird’s plumage, while the other preserves the plinth with the feet of a figure, covered by the himation. The body’s weight lays on the left foot. The excavators had suggested that it represented Leda with the swan, Hülsen, J., Das Nymphaeum (Milet 1.5, Leipzig 1919), p. 65 κ.ε., no. 17, fig. 17. However, according to typological criteria, it is more possible that it represented an Aphrodite of the Pudica type with an winged Eros infant, Αριστοδήμου, Γ., Ο Γλυπτός Διάκοσμος νυμφαίων και κρηνών στο ανατολικό τμήμα της ρωμαϊκής αυτοκρατορίας, Διδ.Διατριβή, Α.Π.Θ. (Θεσσαλονίκη, 2008) p.137, 486 cat.no.190, pl.30.6

13. Constantinople, Archaeological Museum, no. 2005. Part of the torso and the head of a statue of Artemis. The hands and the rest of the body are missing. She wears a chiton without sleeves( acheiridotos chiton). The belt of the quiver is cross worn on the breast. The hair goes back and is gathered at the nape. According to Schröder, it represents in the statue type of Artemis Colonna. Hülsen, J., Das Nymphaeum (Milet 1.5, Leipzig 1919), p. 58, no. 6, fig. 6ab.

14. Torso of a young male figure. It might represent Dionysus or Apollo. Hülsen, J., Das Nymphaeum (Milet 1.5, Leipzig 1919), p 62, no. 11, fig. 11.

15. Torso of a young male figure. Traces of the lip of a Phrygian pilos can be discerned on the shoulder, while on the left shoulder a small part of the chlamys is preserved. It may represent Dionysus or Paris. Hülsen, J., Das Nymphaeum (Milet 1.5, Leipzig 1919), p. 68, no. 23, fig. 23.

16. Many fragments come from the statue of Heracles, of the Farnese type. The hero was depicted naked, leaning on his club. Part of the himation can be discerned under the armpit. The rendering of the muscles is intense. Hülsen, J., Das Nymphaeum (Milet 1.5, Leipzig 1919), p. 63 ff., no. 12, fig. 12.

17. Part of an Asclepius statue, of the Giustini type. The legs covered by the himation are preserved as well as fragments of the staff wrapped with the sacred snake of the God. The rear side is roughly worked. Hülsen, J., Das Nymphaeum (Milet 1.5, Leipzig 1919), p. 61, no. 9, fig. 9. Neugebauer, K.A., Asklepios, 45, fig. 15· LIMC II (1984), p. 879, no. 163, see entry. “Asklepios” (B. Holtzmann).

18. Hülsen, J., Das Nymphaeum (Milet 1.5, Leipzig 1919), p. 58, no. 5, fig. 5.

19. The hypothesis that the portraits of Gordian II and his wife Tranquillina, might have completed the sculptural decoration of the monument is highly possible. See Hülsen, J., Das Nymphaeum (Milet 1.5, Leipzig 1919), p. 71.

20. His name is frequently recorded/ mentioned often in inscriptions of Asia Minor. He was the proconsul of Asia for third time when Philip the Arab (244-249 B.C.) was an emperor. The Nymphaeum remained undecorated from the Titus’ era (79-81 μ.Χ.) to the Gordian III’s age (238-244 AD), who was succeeded by Philip the Arab. The presence of the statue of Lollianus presupposed a contribution of some kind for the erection of the monument. He might have financed the sculptural decoration of the building and therefore he might have been honored by the city. See Hülsen, J., Das Nymphaeum (Milet 1.5, Leipzig 1919), p. 71.

21. There were also found fragments of two small statues of Nike wearing a belted peplos. These would have been served as acroteria. However, it might be possible, that they do not come from the Nymphaeum, but they might belong to another neighbouring building. Hülsen, J., Das Nymphaeum (Milet 1.5, Leipzig 1919), p. 64 ff., no. 16, fig. 16.

22. [M. Ulpi]um Traiaum co(n)s(ulem), lega[tum d]ivi Vespas[iani et imp. Titi C]aesa[ris divi Vespasia[ni f(ilii) Vespa[siani Aug(usti) provinciae...] et provinciae Syriae, proco(n)s(ulem)) Asiae et Hispaniae B[a]eticae, XV vir[um s(acris) f(aciundis), soda]lem Flavialem, triumphalibus ornamentis ex s(enatus) c(onsulto). Hülsen, J., Das Nymphaeum (Milet 1.5, Leipzig 1919), p. 53.

23. "ἐπὶ αὐτοκράτορος Μ. Ἀντωνίου Γορδιανοῦ Εὐσεβοῦς Εὐτυχοῦς Σεβ(αστοῦ) καὶ Ἰουλίας Τρανκουιλλείνης... διά τε τῶν ἀνδριάντων τῶ[ν]... [χ]αλκῶν... τῆς περὶ τὸ ἰδ... (ἢ περὶ τουδ... ἢ περὶ τὸ ὕδ...)... προνοίας ἐπεκόσμησεν ἐκ τῶν θείων δωρεῶν...", Hülsen, J., Das Nymphaeum (Milet 1.5, Leipzig 1919),p. 54.

24. Vandeput L., The Architectural Decoration in Roman Asia Minor, Sagalassos, A case study (Leuven 1997), p. 34, 134-135, 144-145, 155-156· Pülz, S., Untersuchungen zur kaiserzeitlichen Bauornamentik von Didyma, (IstMitt Beiheft 35, Tübingen 1989), p. 107-110.