The first recorded settlers in Bodrum region were the Carians, while today's downtown harbor area was colonized by Dorian Greeks by the 7th century BC. Later the city fell under Persian rule, acting as the capital city of the provence of Caria and prospered due to it natural harbor and location staddling the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. Notably, Herodotus, the historian, was born here in 484 BC.
Mausolus ruled Caria from here on behalf of the Persians, from 377 to 353 BC. When he died, Artemisia II of Caria (who was both his sister and his widow) employed the ancient Greek architects Satyros 
and Pythis to build a monument, as well as a tomb, for him. The word "mausoleum" derives from the structure of this tomb. It was a temple-like structure decorated with reliefs and statuary on a massive base. It stood for 1700 years and was eventually destroyed by earthquakes. Today some of the foundations and a few pieces of sculpture remain.
Alexander the Great laid siege on the city after his arrival in Carian lands and its capture was, in all likelihood, completed by his ally, queen Ada of Caria.
In 1522, Suleyman the Magnificent conquered the stronghold of the Crusader Knights at the island of Rhodes, causing the remaining Knights to withdrew to Malta, leaving The Castle of Saint Peter and Bodrum to the Ottoman Empire.
