ABSTRACT
There were traditionally thought to be three building phases at Bronze Age Miletos (Weickert 1959/60a, 1959/60b). However, recent excavations at the site have made it clear that there were three earlier phases to the site: the previously unsuspected Late Chalcolithic and the Early and Middle Bronze Age settlements of Miletos I, II, III (numbered according to the system recently put forward by W.-D. Niemeier, in Greaves and Helwing 2001: 505-6). Following this system, what was formerly known as the First Building Period becomes Miletos IV; the Second Building Period is Miletos V; and the Third Building Period Miletos VI. Some of these periods of the settlement appear to have sub-phases to them (e.g. Miletos IV, discussed below, pp. 48-55). In 1997 excavations at the Temple of Athena site found that the Late Chalcolithic (Miletos I) layers sat directly on top of bedrock, so it is unlikely that any earlier periods of settlement will be found at this site (Niemeier et al., forthcoming).
