Ancient Miletus, one of the great ports of Asia Minor, with its unique history of urban and philosophical development, was an important centre for the dissemination of Greek civilization. Here lived some of the great intellects of the ancient world, philosophers such as Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes, and Hippodamus, antiquity’s first town-planner. The city’s coastal location made it a prosperous commercial and sea power. Today, the surviving ruins cannot reveal the magnificence of the city that was once the ‘Metropolis of Ionia’. But for this very reason the restoration or revival of the ancient city provided a tempting challenge for the Foundation of the Hellenic World; a Foundation whose mission is to preserve and disseminate Greek history and culture using state-of-the-art computer technology.

The first step in this virtual restoration was the three-dimensional photorealistic reconstruction of the major public buildings. The entire project was carried through in-house, using the most advanced digital technology and the research of the German Archaeological School, which undertook the excavations at Miletus. The result has been commended by many distinguished academics, such Dr Wolfram Hoepfner, Professor at the University of Berlin, who described the reconstructions as ‘the most exact that have ever been undertaken for the buildings of ancient Miletus’.

After this first achievement, the three-dimensional reconstructions were utilized anew in a documentary dedicated to Miletus. Digital technology was now combined with on-the-spot footage so that the city could be reconstructed in its heyday: the documentary won first prize at the 5th Amiens Archaeological Film Festival. Next came a series of productions about Miletus that highlighted different aspects of the city’s history: the Miletus website focuses on the urban development of the city from Prehistory to Late Classical Times; the Virtual Reality show allows visitors to ‘walk through’ the city streets; and, finally, the CD-ROM Mystery in Ancient Miletus, takes young users on an entertaining and instructive exploration of the city as it was during the Roman and Late Hellenistic periods.