Miletus ( mÄ `` lÄ `` ' tÉ s ) ( Ancient Greek : Î Î Î '' Î Ï Î Ï , literally transliterated MilÄ `` tos , Latin Miletus ) was an ancient city on the western coast of Anatolia ( in what is now Aydin Province , Turkey ) , near the mouth of the Maeander River in ancient Caria . Miletus ( mÄ `` lÄ `` ' tÉ s ) ( Ancient Greek : Î Î Î '' Î Ï Î Ï , MilÄ `` tos ; Latin : Miletus ) was an ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia ( in what is now Aydin Province , Turkey ) , near the mouth of the Maeander River in ancient Caria .