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Institutions and administration
There are numerous epigraphic and literary sources referring to the regime of Miletus in the various phases of its history. The oldest title in aristocratic Miletus was the aisymnetes, which must have been established when monarchy was overthrown. Little is known about the way the regime operated but, in any case, it lasted until 513 BC at the latest.
During the Ionian Revolt Isagoras imposed the system of isonomia, that is, a type of moderate democracy. After the adventure of internal turmoil in the mid-5th century BC and oligarchy, dominated by officials called ‘epimenioi’, the city adopted a type of democracy similar to the Athenian regime. More specifically, the operations of the boule of Miletus and Athens were very much alike: they both had the system of prytaneia and the representation of the members under the system of tribes, some of which were identical to the respective Athenian ones. This system replaced the earlier Ionian system of six tribes (Oenopes, Oplites, Boreis, Argadeis, Geleontes and Aegikoreis). The boule of Miletus decided which possible resolutions would be discussed in the Ekklesia. The members of the boule were elected by lot even in the 2nd century BC. This system of government was generally the same until the Hellenistic period, although there were some inevitable intervals because of the constant political changes. Finally, in the early phase of Roman administration in Asia Minor, Miletus restored a system of oligarchy dominated by a body of 50 archons.
The inscriptions of the Classical and Hellenistic period also report a series of officials, such as strategoi(generals), tamiai(treasurers), praktores(tax collectors) and the grammateis(secretaries).
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