Iasos Archaeological Site

Iasos sits on a peninsula surrounded by sea on three sides, within the village of Kıyıkışlacık, twenty-eight kilometres from Milas in Muğla. Myth says the city was founded by settlers from Argos and named after their leader, Iasos. Ancient sources have nothing to say about it before the 5th century BC, but excavations show that settlement here goes back to the end of the 3rd millennium BC.

The land was once an island; the strip of sea that separated it from the mainland silted up, and the island became a peninsula. Most of the important buildings of the ancient city stand on this peninsula, while the great city wall, the aqueducts, the tombs and the so-called Fish Market lie outside the walls.

Strabo tells a story to show how fond the Iasians were of fish. A visiting musician was giving a recital in the theatre when the bell announcing the fish market rang, and the whole audience left except one old man who cupped his hand to his ear. The musician thanked him for his respect, but the old man only asked whether the bell had rung, and hearing that it had, excused himself and vanished. Another local tale, about a boy befriended by a dolphin, even ended up on the city's coins.