A new excavation at the Hellenistic site of Miletus has revealed a small but lavish sanctuary dedicated to Selene, the personification of the moon. Dating to the 2nd century BCE, the temple's altar was found covered in thin, hammered silver disks representing the different phases of the lunar cycle. These artifacts are among the best-preserved votive offerings ever found in the region, providing new insights into the specific cultic practices of the Hellenistic moon goddess.
The temple is architecturally unique for its open-roofed design, which allowed the moon to illuminate the central altar during specific celestial alignments. Archaeologists also discovered a series of lead tablets containing hymns and prayers written in an archaic dialect of Greek. These texts describe a local festival known as the Luminaria, which involved midnight processions and ritual offerings of honey and milk.