Delphinion

The Delphinion in Miletus was the sanctuary of Apollo Delphinios, protector of ports and ships, and served as the religious and political centre of the ancient city. Monumentalized in the late 6th century BC, it was destroyed by the Persians in 494 BC and rebuilt after liberation in 479/78 BC. During the Hellenistic period it expanded to occupy two city blocks, and in the Roman era it reached its final form with colonnaded halls on all sides. Over 150 inscriptions found within identify it as "the most prominent place of the city," functioning simultaneously as state archive and seat of the prytaneion (municipal government).