MYUS – IONIA

Ancient Myus was founded on the Aegean shore by a group of Ioanians led by Kyaretos, son of King Kodros of Athens. The location was to prove to be a rather poor choice. A very minor member of the Ioanian League, and the poorest one at that, the city’s history is closely tied to the Maeander River. Myus was an important port with the capacity to harbor over 200 ships, but went into decline in the 5^th century BC because of mud and silt carried by the Maeander River causing the port to turn into a marshland infested with mosquitoes spreading malaria.

An interesting point worth mentioning here is that the word meander is derived from the name of this winding river. Strabo, the Greek geographer writes about the abandonment of the city, stating that the people of Myus moved to Miletus with all they could carry, including their gods. It is also quite probable that they carried their building materials as well as there is practically no trace of any building found today in Myus. There must have been temples, baths and other civic buildings but none remain.