Miletus on the western coast of Turkey has been an important megapolis of the ancient Mediterranean. It is now a central place for research on ancient urbanisation, as it offers an ideal case for the study of the genesis of a big city perfectly integrated into Mediterranean networks. Field research however has until now concentrated on particular parts of the settlement from the Bronze age to Archaic times, and on the monumental centre of the post-classical city. The aim of the present project is, on the reverse, to provide a thorough study of the dynamics of settlement development beyond the central public places, in a long-term perspective, from the Late Bronze age to the end of the Roman Empire (from circa 1400 BC to circa 400 AD). In the framework of a cooperation between the ENS Paris and Hamburg University, the specific forms of life in a big city will be explored on three different scales : the houses and their immediate environment, the global structure of the settlement, and the relations between the megapolis and the neighbouring region. The absence of a modern occupation on the site enables us to plan a whole series of interdisciplinary archaeological investigations, which will converge into an appropriate study of each context according to its peculiarities. We notably plan, basing on the results of geophysical prospections which took place in the last years, precise soundings in different parts of the site to reconstruct the spatial and temporal dynamics of settlement history, as well as excavations providing case studies on spaces lying outside, or far from, the centre. Study of the material will shed light on domestic equipment but also on vegetal and animal remains. Precious information will be gained through the exploitation of data from contexts from earlier excavations. A GIS will integrate all existing data sets, which can be complemented by a reconstruction of the coastal line based on recent geomorphological investigation and by a Digital elevation model currently being build. All data will be placed on a GeoServer with differentiated access for participants to the project, for interested colleagues and for the wider audience. The results will be the subject of a vast monography. This project, generally, aims at a contribution to our knowledge oft he forms of life in a bug city in Ancient times through the example of Miletus..