In the Footsteps of Discovery and Mathematics in Miletos
Yusuf Mehmet Sarışın – A Day in the City Where Science and Philosophy Were Born
In the Footsteps of Discovery and Mathematics in Miletos
Yusuf Mehmet Sarışın – A Day in the City Where Science and Philosophy Were Born
Rising just a few kilometers from Didim, on the history-laden lands of the Aegean, the Ancient City of Miletos is known as one of the most important centers of thought in human history. Around 2,600 years ago, the philosophers who lived here began the first scientific inquiries that sought to understand the universe, nature, and the human mind.
Even today, the legacy of great thinkers such as Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes, who laid the foundations of mathematics, philosophy, and scientific thought, can still be felt in these lands. For this reason, Miletos is not merely an ancient city; it is like an open-air academy representing the awakening of human intellect.
Recently, members of the Didim Municipality Children’s Council embarked on a special journey of discovery through the stone streets of this ancient city ahead of the upcoming March 14 – Miletos Mathematics Day.
On a morning when sunlight filtered through the ancient columns of Miletos, the children experienced mathematics in the very heart of history. One of the famous methods of Thales of Miletos, one of the greatest thinkers of the ancient world, was brought to life through an experiment measuring length by using shadows.
By measuring the shadows cast on the ground, the children discovered that mathematics does not exist only in books, but also within nature itself. This experiment, carried out among the stone steps of the ancient theater and the shadows of the columns, seemed to connect the past and the present along the same line.
The journey of discovery did not end there. The young explorers visited the Miletos Museum, where they had the opportunity to closely observe traces of daily life, art, and science from the ancient world.
Afterward, the children went to DİGEM (Didim Youth Center) in Didim, where they created experimental art works under the theme “Mathematics and Hope.” These works, prepared with numbers, shapes, and colors, demonstrated that mathematics is not only a scientific discipline but also a source of inspiration.
These special creations will be exhibited on March 14, Miletos Mathematics Day, in the very land where mathematics was born — the Ancient City of Miletos.
Perhaps the questions that Thales once asked while looking up at the sky 2,600 years ago are echoing again today in the curious eyes of children.
And once again, Miletos whispers:
Science begins with curiosity…
And curiosity grows in the hearts of children.
