View source for Smyrna

{{Short description|Ancient Greek city, currently İzmir, Turkey}}
{{About|the Hellenistic through Byzantine periods of Smyrna|the earliest through the Archaic Periods|Old Smyrna|the modern city|İzmir|other uses}}
{{Infobox ancient site
 | name                 = Smyrna
 | native_name          = {{lang|grc|Σμύρνη}}/{{native name|grc|Σμύρνα}}
 | alternate_name       =
 | image                = Agora of Smyrna, built during the Hellenistic era at the base of Pagos Hill and totally rebuilt under Marcus Aurelius after the destructive 178 AD earthquake, Izmir, Turkey (18702047681).jpg
 | image_size           = 290px
 | alt                  = The ancient Greek city of Smyrna in Anatolia
 | caption              = The [[Agora of Smyrna]] (columns of the western stoa)
 | map_type             = Turkey#Europe
 | map_alt              =
 | map_size             = 290
 | coordinates          = {{coord|38|25|7|N|27|8|21|E|display=inline,title}}
 | location             = [[İzmir]], [[İzmir Province]], [[Turkey]]
 | region               = [[Ionia]]
 | type                 = Settlement
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[[File:Lydia circa 50 AD - English legend.jpg|thumb|Smyrna among the cities of Ionia and Lydia ({{Circa|50 AD}})]]

'''Smyrna''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|m|ɜːr|n|ə}} {{respell|SMUR|nə}}; {{langx|grc|Σμύρνη|translit=Smýrnē}}, or {{langx|grc|Σμύρνα|translit=Smýrna|label=none}}) was an [[Ancient Greece|Ancient Greek]] city located at a strategic point on the [[Aegean Sea|Aegean]] coast of [[Anatolia]]. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prominence. Since about 1930, the city's name has been [[İzmir]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fant |first1=Clyde E. |title=A Guide to Biblical Sites in Greece and Turkey |date=2003 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-988145-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cPDXFPxKBzIC&pg=PT583 |access-date=5 February 2020}}</ref>

Two sites of the ancient city are today within İzmir's boundaries. The first, probably founded by indigenous peoples, rose to prominence during the [[Archaic period in Greece|Archaic Period]] as one of the principal ancient Greek settlements in western Anatolia. The second, whose foundation is associated with [[Alexander the Great]],<ref name=paus75>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.+7.5 Pausanias, Description of Greece, 7.5]</ref> reached metropolitan proportions during the period of the [[Roman Empire]]. Most of the ancient city's present-day remains date to the Roman era, the majority from after a 2nd-century AD earthquake. In practical terms, a distinction is often made between these. ''Old Smyrna'' was the initial settlement founded around the 11th century BC, first as an [[Aeolians|Aeolian]] settlement, and later taken over and developed during the Archaic Period by the [[Ionians]]. ''Smyrna'' proper was the new city to which residents moved as of the 4th century BC and whose foundation was inspired by Alexander the Great.<ref name=paus75/>

==Localization==
Old Smyrna was on a small peninsula connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus at the northeastern corner of the inner [[Gulf of İzmir]], at the edge of a fertile plain and at the foot of [[Mount Yamanlar]]. This Anatolian settlement commanded the gulf. Today, the archaeological site, named ''Bayraklı Höyüğü,'' is approximately {{convert|700|m|yd}} inland, in the Tepekule neighbourhood of [[Bayraklı]]. ''New'' Smyrna developed simultaneously on the slopes of the Mount Pagos ([[Kadifekale]] today) and alongside the coastal strait, immediately below where a small bay existed until the 18th century.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Tours |first=Peninsula |date=2023-07-15 |title=Smyrna {{!}} PeninsulaTours |url=https://peninsulatours.com.tr/posts/20d/smyrna |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=Hotels, Reservations, Flights, Tours, Rents and more..}}</ref>

The core of the late [[Hellenistic]] and early [[Roman Empire|Roman]] Smyrna is preserved in the large area of İzmir Agora Open Air Museum at this site. Research is being pursued at the sites of both the old and the new cities. This has been conducted since 1997 for Old Smyrna and since 2002 for the Classical Period city, in collaboration between the [[İzmir Archaeology Museum]] and the Metropolitan Municipality of İzmir.<ref>{{cite web |author=Eti Akyüz Levi, [[Dokuz Eylül University]] |year=2003 |title=The Agora of İzmir and Cultural Tourism |url=http://cipa.icomos.org/fileadmin/papers/antalya/114.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20090205191014/http://cipa.icomos.org/fileadmin/papers/antalya/114.pdf |archive-date=February 5, 2009 |publisher=The International Committee for Documentation of Cultural Heritage (CIPA), 2003 [[Antalya]] Symposium}}</ref>

[[File:Agora of Smyrna, built during the Hellenistic era at the base of Pagos Hill and totally rebuilt under Marcus Aurelius after the destructive 178 AD earthquake, Izmir, Turkey (18699693425).jpg|thumb|The agora of ancient Smyrna]]
[[File:Agora of Smyrna, built during the Hellenistic era at the base of Pagos Hill and totally rebuilt under Marcus Aurelius after the destructive 178 AD earthquake, Izmir, Turkey (18699947915).jpg|thumb|Agora of Smyrna, built during the Hellenistic era at the base of Pagos Hill and totally rebuilt under Marcus Aurelius after the destructive 178 AD earthquake]]

Smyrna was at the mouth of the small river [[Hermus]] and at the head of a deep arm of the sea (''Smyrnaeus Sinus'') that reached far inland. This enabled Greek trading ships to sail into the heart of [[Lydia]], making the city part of an essential trade route between Anatolia and the Aegean. During the 7th century BC, Smyrna rose to power and splendor. One of the great trade routes that cross Anatolia descends the Hermus valley past [[Sardis]], and then, diverging from the valley, passes south of [[Mount Sipylus]] and crosses a low pass into the little valley where Smyrna lies between the mountains and the sea. [[Miletus]] and later Ephesus were at the sea end of the other great trade route across Anatolia; for a time they successfully competed with Smyrna, but after both cities' harbors silted up, Smyrna was without a rival.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Claus |first=Patricia |date=16 May 2024 |title=The History of the Ancient Greek City of Smyrna |url=https://greekreporter.com/2024/05/16/history-ancient-greek-city-smyrna/ |access-date=13 June 2024 |website=Greek Reporter}}</ref>

The [[River Meles|Meles River]], which flowed by Smyrna, is famous in literature and was worshipped in the valley. A common and consistent tradition connects [[Homer]] with the valley of Smyrna and the banks of the Meles; his figure was one of the stock types on coins of Smyrna, one class of which [[numismatist]]s call "Homerian." The epithet ''Melesigenes'' was applied to him; the cave where he was wont to compose his poems was shown near the source of the river; his temple, the ''Homereum'', stood on its banks. The steady, equable flow of the Meles, alike in summer and winter, and its short course, beginning and ending near the city, are celebrated by [[Aristides]] and Himerius. The stream rises from abundant springs east of the city and flows into the southeast extremity of the gulf.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Smyrna |url=https://www.hellenicaworld.com/Greece/Geo/en/Smyrna.html |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=www.hellenicaworld.com}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Istanbul_-_Museo_archeol._-_Saffo_-_Copia_romana_da_orig_ellenist._-_da_Smirne_-_Foto_G._Dall'Orto_28-5-2006_02.jpg|thumb|left|Head of the poet [[Sappho]], Smyrna, marble copy of a prototype belonging to the Hellenistic Period, in [[Istanbul Archaeology Museums]]]]

===Hellenistic period===

<!-- deleted file removed [[File:Agora3.jpg|thumb|left|Agora of Smyrna]] -->
[[Alexander the Great]] conceived the idea of restoring the Greek city in a scheme that was, according to [[Strabo]], actually carried out under Antigonus (316–301&nbsp;BC) and [[Lysimachus]] (301&nbsp;BC—281&nbsp;BC), who enlarged and fortified the city. The ruined acropolis of the ancient city, the "crown of Smyrna", had been on a steep peak about {{convert|1250|ft|m|order=flip}} high, which overhangs the northeast extremity of the gulf. Modern İzmir was constructed atop the later [[Hellenistic]] city, partly on the slopes of a rounded hill the Greeks called ''Pagos''<ref>Simply "the hill".</ref> near the southeast end of the gulf, and partly on the low ground between the hill and the sea. The beauty of the Hellenistic city, clustering on the low ground and rising tier over tier on the hillside, was frequently praised by the ancients and is celebrated on its coins.<ref name=":1" />
[[File:Colossal_reclining_statue_of_the_river_god_Kaystros_with_a_cornucopia,_from_the_frigidarium_of_the_Vedius_Gymnasium_at_Ephesus,_2nd_century_AD,_Izmir_Museum_of_History_and_Art,_Turkey_(45112787215).jpg|thumb|The statue of the river god Kaystros with a cornucopia in İzmir Museum of History and Art at [[Kültürpark]]]]

Smyrna is shut in on the west by a hill now called Deirmen Tepe, with the ruins of a temple on the summit. The walls of Lysimachus crossed the summit of this hill, and the acropolis occupied the top of Pagus. Between the two the road from Ephesus entered the city by the Ephesian gate, near which was a gymnasium. Closer to the acropolis the outline of the stadium is still visible, and the theatre was on Pagus's north slopes. Smyrna possessed two harbours. The outer harbour was simply the open roadstead of the gulf, and the inner was a small basin with a narrow entrance partially filled up by [[Tamerlane]] in 1402.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Smyrna, Asia Minor |url=https://www.1902encyclopedia.com/S/SMY/smyrna.html |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=www.1902encyclopedia.com}}</ref>

The streets were broad, well paved and laid out at right angles; many were named after temples: the main street, called the Golden, ran across the city from west to east, beginning probably from the temple of Zeus Akraios on the west slope of Pagus, and running round the lower slopes of Pagus (like a necklace on the statue, to use the favorite terms of Aristides the orator) towards Tepecik outside the city on the east, where probably stood the temple of [[Cybele]], worshipped under the name of Meter Sipylene, the city's patroness. The name is from nearby Mount Sipylus, which bounds the valley of the city's backlands. The plain towards the sea was too low to be properly drained, and in rainy weather, the lower town's streets were deep with mud and water.<ref name=":1" />

At the end of the Hellenistic period, in 197&nbsp;BC, the city suddenly cut its ties with King [[Eumenes of Pergamum]] and appealed to Rome for help. Because Rome and Smyrna had no ties until then, Smyrna created a cult of Rome to establish a bond, and the cult eventually became widespread throughout the Roman Empire. As of 195&nbsp;BC, the city of Rome started to be deified, in the cult to the goddess [[Roma (mythology)|Roma]]. In this sense, the Smyrneans can be considered as the creators of the goddess Roma.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Başağaç |first=Özge |date=2020-12-15 |title=Feeling at Home: Notes of a Journey by a Roman Traveller in the 2nd Century Pergamon |url=http://www.meltemizmeda.org/YuklenenDosyalar/Dergi/28122020_0218_Basagac.pdf |journal=Meltem Izmir Akdeniz Akademisi Dergisi |language=en |issue=8 |pages=35–45 |doi=10.32325/iaad.2020.16 |issn=2602-2508}}</ref>

In 133&nbsp;BC, when the last Attalid king, Attalus III, died without an heir, his will conferred his entire kingdom, including Smyrna, to the Romans. They organized it into the Roman [[Asia (Roman province)|province of Asia]], making [[Pergamum]] the capital. As a major seaport, Smyrna became a leading city in the newly constituted province.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Snowdon |first=Michael |url=https://macsphere.mcmaster.ca/bitstream/11375/10321/1/fulltext.pdf |title=An Unexpected Province: The History of the Roman Province of Asia from 133 B.C. to 128 B.C. |publisher=McMaster University |year=2005 |location=Hamilton, Ontario |type=Master of Arts Thesis (Classics)}}</ref>

===Roman and Byzantine period===
{{Further|Samos (theme)|Byzantine Empire|History of Anatolia}}
[[File:Seven churches of asia.svg|thumb|Map of ''Western Anatolia'' showing the "[[Seven Churches of Asia]]" and the Greek island of [[Patmos]]]]
As one of the principal cities of [[Roman Asia]],<ref name="Oxford:Smyrna">{{cite encyclopedia |editor-last=Cross |editor-first=F. L. |encyclopedia=The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=2005 |title=Smyrna}}</ref> Smyrna vied with Ephesus and Pergamum for the title "First City of Asia."

A Christian church and a [[Metropolis of Smyrna|bishopric]] existed there from earliest times, probably originating in the considerable Jewish colony. It was one of the [[Seven churches of Asia|seven churches]] addressed in the [[Book of Revelation]].<ref>{{Bibleverse|Revelation|1:11}} and {{Bibleverse|Revelation|2:8–11}}</ref> Saint [[Ignatius of Antioch]] visited Smyrna and later wrote letters to its bishop, [[Polycarp]]. A mob of Jews and pagans abetted the martyrdom of Polycarp in AD 153.<ref name="Oxford:Smyrna"/> [[Irenaeus|Saint Irenaeus]], who heard Polycarp as a boy, was probably a native of Smyrna.<ref name="Oxford:Smyrna"/> Another famous resident of the same period was [[Aelius Aristides]].<ref name=:0/>

After a destructive earthquake in 178&nbsp;AD, Smyrna was rebuilt in the Roman period (2nd century AD) under the emperor [[Marcus Aurelius]]. Aelius Aristides wrote a letter to Marcus Aurelius and his son [[Commodus]], inviting them to become the new founders of the city.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=The Church of Smyrna: History and Theology of a Primitive Christian Community|last=Saavedra Monroy|first=Mauricio|publisher=Peter Lang Edition|year=2015|isbn=9783631662359|location=Frankfurt am Main|pages=41–42}}</ref> The bust of the emperor's wife [[Faustina the Younger|Faustina]] on the second arch of the western stoa confirms this fact.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}}

[[Polycrates of Ephesus|Polycrates]] reports a succession of bishops including Polycarp of Smyrna, as well as others in nearby cities such as [[Melito of Sardis]]. Of that time, the German historian W. Bauer wrote:

<blockquote>Asian Jewish Christianity received in turn the knowledge that henceforth the "church" would be open without hesitation to the Jewish influence mediated by Christians, coming not only from the apocalyptic traditions, but also from the synagogue with its practices concerning worship, which led to the appropriation of the Jewish passover observance. Even the observance of the sabbath by Christians appears to have found some favor in Asia...we find that in post-apostolic times, in the period of the formation of ecclesiastical structure, the Jewish Christians in these regions come into prominence.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-first=Bauer W. |editor1-last=Kraft |editor2-last=Krodel |editor2-first=G. |title=Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity |edition=2nd |publisher=Sigler Press |location=Mifflintown (PA) |date=1996 |pages=87–89}}</ref></blockquote>

In the late second century, [[Irenaeus]] also noted:

<blockquote>Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the Church in Smyrna...always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the Church has handed down, and which alone are true. To these things all the Asiatic Churches testify, as do also those men who have succeeded Polycarp.<ref>Irenaeus. Adversus Haeres. Book III, Chapter 4, Verse 3 and Chapter 3, Verse 4</ref> </blockquote>

[[Tertullian]] wrote c. 208&nbsp;AD:

<blockquote>Anyhow the heresies are at best novelties, and have no continuity with the teaching of Christ. Perhaps some heretics may claim Apostolic antiquity: we reply: Let them publish the origins of their churches and unroll the catalogue of their bishops till now from the Apostles or from some bishop appointed by the Apostles, as the Smyrnaeans count from Polycarp and John, and the Romans from Clement and Peter; let heretics invent something to match this.<ref>Tertullian. Liber de praescriptione haereticorum, circa 208&nbsp;A.D.</ref></blockquote>

Hence, the church in Smyrna was apparently one of the churches that Tertullian felt had real apostolic succession.

During the mid-3rd century, most became affiliated with the Greco-Roman churches.

When [[Constantinople]] became the seat of government, the trade between Anatolia and the West diminished in importance, and Smyrna declined.<ref name=":2" />

The [[Seljuk Empire|Seljuq]] commander [[Tzachas]] seized Smyrna in 1084 and used it as a base for naval raids, but the city was recovered by the general [[John Doukas (megas doux)|John Doukas]].<ref name=":3" />

The city was several times ravaged by the Turks, and had become quite ruinous when the [[Nicaean emperor]] [[John III Doukas Vatatzes]] rebuilt it about 1222.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Smyrna: The History of Asia Minor's Greatest Greek City |url=https://hellenologio.gr/index.php/en/history/smyrna-the-history-of-asia-minors-greatest-greek-city |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=hellenologio.gr}}</ref>

===Ottoman period===
{{Main|İzmir}}
[[File:Tamerlan.jpg|thumb|In 1403, [[Timur]] had decisively defeated the [[Knights Hospitaller]] at Smyrna, and therefore referred to himself as a ''[[Ghazi warriors|Ghazi]]''.]]

[[Ibn Batuta]] found Smyrna still in great part a ruin when the homonymous chieftain of the [[Beylik of Aydın]] had conquered it about 1330 and made his son, Umur, governor. It became the port of the emirate.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=31 January 2024 |title=Smyrna: The History of Asia Minor's Greatest Greek City |url=https://greekcitytimes.com/2024/01/31/smyrna-history-asia-minor-2-2/ |access-date=14 June 2024 |website=Greek City Times}}</ref>

During the [[Smyrniote Crusade]] in 1344, on October 28, the combined forces of the Knights Hospitallers of Rhodes, the Republic of Venice, the Papal States, and the Kingdom of Cyprus captured both the harbor and city from the Turks, which they held for nearly 60 years; the citadel fell in 1348, with the death of the governor Umur Baha ad-Din Ghazi.<ref>{{cite book |first=Kenneth M. |last=Stetton |title=The Papacy and the Levant, vol. 1 |publisher=American Philosophical Society |location= |date=1976 |isbn=0-87169-114-0}}</ref>

In 1402, [[Timur|Tamerlane]] [[Siege of Smyrna|stormed the town]] and massacred almost all the inhabitants. His conquest was only temporary, but Smyrna was recovered by the Turks under the Aydın dynasty, after which it became [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]], when the Ottomans took over the lands of Aydın after 1425.<ref>{{Britannica|46453|Aydin Dynasty}}</ref>

Greek influence was so strong in the area that the Turks called it "Smyrna of the infidels" ([[Giaour|Gavur]] İzmir).<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/amoderncrusadei00humpgoog/page/n73/mode/1up |title=A Modern Crusade in the Turkish Empire |first1=Florence Amanda |last1=Fensham |first2=Mary I. |last2=Lyman |first3=Mrs. H. B. |last3=Humphrey |publisher=Woman's Board of Missions of the Interior |date=1908 |page=43}}</ref> Turkish sources track the term's emergence to the 14th century, when two separate parts of the city were controlled by two different powers, the upper İzmir being Muslim and the lower part of the city Christian.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hazir |first=Ediz |date=2022-03-21 |title=Religious Belonging and Multinational Encounters in “Infidel Izmir”: Past and Present |url=https://brill.com/view/journals/chrc/102/1/article-p83_4.xml |journal=Church History and Religious Culture |volume=102 |issue=1 |pages=83–109 |doi=10.1163/18712428-bja10035 |issn=1871-2428}}</ref>{{Clarify||This needs to be merged with previous paragraph which talks about Tamerlane in the 15th century. So this term is from the Knights of Saint John episode?|date=March 2010}}

The Armenians, alongside the Greeks, played a significant role in the city's development, most notably during the age of exploration, where Armenians became a crucial player in the trade sector.<ref name="ieg-ego.eu">{{Cite web|url=http://ieg-ego.eu/en/threads/european-networks/economic-networks/tamara-ganjalyan-armenian-trade-networks|title=Armenian trade networks}}</ref>
The Armenians had trade routes stretching from the far east to Europe. One most notable good the Armenians traded was Iranian silk, which the Shah Abbas of Iran gave them a monopoly over in the 17th century.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Steinmann |first=Linda K. |date=1987 |title=Shah 'Abbas and the Royal Silk Trade 1599–1629 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/194456 |journal=Bulletin (British Society for Middle Eastern Studies) |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=68–74 |doi=10.1080/13530198808705454 |jstor=194456 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

The Armenians traded Iranian silk with European and Greek merchants in Smyrna; this trade made the Armenians very rich. Besides trade, the Armenians were involved in manufacturing, banking, and other highly productive professions.<ref name="ieg-ego.eu"/>

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Smyrna was an important financial and cultural center of the Greek world.<ref name=":3" /> Of its 391 factories, 322 belonged to local Greeks, while 3 of its 9 banks were backed by Greek capital. Education was also dominated by the local Greek communities, with 67 male and 4 female schools. The Ottomans continued to control the area, with the exception of the [[Greek administration of Smyrna (1919–1922)|1919–1922 period]], when the city was assigned to Greece by the [[Treaty of Sèvres]].<ref name=":4" />

The region's most important Greek educational institution was the [[Evangelical School of Smyrna|Evangelical School]], which operated from 1733 to 1922.<ref>{{cite book | last= Geōrgiadou|first=Maria | title= Constantin Carathéodory: mathematics and politics in turbulent times |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=IVIXBOFNty8C&q=%22evangelical+school%22%2Bsmyrna&pg=PA145| publisher=Springer | year=2004 | isbn= 978-3-540-20352-0| page =145}}</ref>
[[File:Greek army Smyrne 1919.jpg|thumb|Greek troops marching on İzmir's coastal street, May 1919]]

===Post-World War I===
[[File:Great Fire of Smyrna.jpg|thumb|The [[Great Fire of Smyrna]] as seen from an Italian ship, 14 September 1922]]
{{Main|Occupation of Smyrna|Great Fire of Smyrna}}
After the end of the First World War, Greece occupied Smyrna from 15 May 1919 and put in place a military administration. The Greek premier [[Eleftherios Venizelos|Venizelos]] had plans to annex Smyrna and he seemed to be realizing his objective in the [[Treaty of Sèvres]], signed 10 August 1920.<ref name="Mango217">{{cite book |first=Andrew |last=Mango |title=Atatürk |publisher=Overlok Press |date=2000 |page=217 |isbn= 9781585670116}}</ref> (However, this treaty was not ratified by the parties; the [[Treaty of Lausanne (1923)|Treaty of Peace of Lausanne]] replaced it.)

The occupation of Smyrna [[Liberation of İzmir|came to an end]] when the Turkish army of [[Kemal Atatürk]] entered the city on September 9, 1922, at the end of the [[Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922)]]. In the immediate aftermath, a fire broke out in the Greek and Armenian quarters of the city on September 13, 1922, known as the [[Great Fire of Smyrna]]. The death toll is estimated to range from 10,000<ref name="google92">{{cite book |last=Biondich |first=Mark |title=The Balkans: Revolution, War, and Political Violence Since 1878 |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=2011 |page=92 |isbn=978-0-19-929905-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vC-Fk7Mxu2MC&pg=PA92}}</ref><ref name="Naimark, ''Fires of Hatred'', p. 52">{{cite book |last=Naimark |first=Norman M. |title=Fires of Hatred: Ethnic Cleansing in Twentieth-Century Europe |location=Cambridge, MA |publisher=Harvard University Press |date=2002 |pages=47–52 |isbn=9780674003132 |url=https://archive.org/details/firesofhatredeth00naim/page/46}}</ref> to 100,000.<ref name="transaction233">{{cite book | first1 = Irving Louis |last1=Horowitz | author-link1 = Irving Louis Horowitz | first2 = Rudolph J. |last2=Rummel | title = Death by Government |publisher=Transaction Publishers |year=1994 |isbn=978-1-56000-927-6 |chapter=Turkey's Genocidal Purges |page=233}}</ref>

==Agora==
{{main|Agora of Smyrna}}
The remains of the ancient [[agora]] of Smyrna constitute today the space of ''İzmir Agora Museum'' in İzmir's Namazgah quarter, although its area is commonly referred to as '''"Agora"''' by the city's inhabitants.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Apricot Tours {{!}} Asia Minor 2 |url=http://www.apricottours.com/special-interest-tours/archaeology/asia-minor-2/ |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=www.apricottours.com}}</ref>

Situated on the northern slopes of the Pagos hills, it was the commercial, judicial and political nucleus of the ancient city, its center for artistic activities and for teaching.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Smyrna Agora Ancient City {{!}} TravelwithDrone.com |url=https://travelwithdrone.com/agora-open-air-museum/ |access-date=2024-06-15 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

İzmir Agora Open Air Museum consists of five parts, including the agora area, the base of the northern [[basilica]] gate, the stoa and the ancient shopping centre.<ref name=":5" />

The agora of Smyrna was built during the Hellenistic era.

==Excavations==
[[File:1843 Chenavard Agora.jpg|thumb|Engraving with a view of the site of Smyrna Agora a few years after the first explorations (1843)]]
Although Smyrna was explored by [[Charles Texier]] in the 19th century and the German consul in İzmir had purchased the land around the ancient theater in 1917 to start excavations, the first scientific digs can be said to have started in 1927. Most of the discoveries were made by archaeological exploration carried as an extension during the period between 1931 and 1942 by the German archaeologist [[Rudolf Naumann]] and [[Selâhattin Kantar]], the director of İzmir and Ephesus museums. They uncovered a three-floor, rectangular compound with stairs in the front, built on columns and arches around a large courtyard in the middle of the building.<ref name=":2" />

New excavations in the agora began in 1996  by the Directorate of Archaeology Museum in Izmir.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sahin |first1=Mustafa |last2=Taslialan |first2=Mehmet |date=January 2010 |title=Sculptural Finds From the Agora of Smyrna |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/297910428 |journal=OLBA |volume=XVIII}}</ref> They have continued since 2002 under the sponsorship of the Metropolitan Municipality of İzmir. A primary school adjacent to the agora that had burned in 1980 was not reconstructed. Instead, its space was incorporated into the historical site. The area of the agora was increased to {{convert|16590|m2}}. This permitted the evacuation of a previously unexplored zone. The archaeologists and the local authorities, means permitting, are also keenly eyeing a neighbouring [[multi-storey car park]], which is known to cover an important part of the ancient settlement.<ref name=":2" /> During the present renovations the old restorations in concrete are gradually being replaced by marble.

The new excavation has uncovered the agora's northern gate. It has been concluded that embossed figures of the goddess [[Hestia]] found in these digs were a continuation of the [[Zeus]] [[altar]] uncovered during the first digs. Statues of the gods [[Hermes]], [[Dionysos]], [[Eros (mythology)|Eros]] and [[Heracles]] have also been found, as well as many statues, heads, embossments, figurines and monuments of people and animals, made of marble, stone, bone, glass, metal and terracotta. Inscriptions found here list the people who provided aid to Smyrna after the earthquake of 178&nbsp;AD.<ref name=":3" />

==Economy==

In the early 20th-century, Smyrna had a number of mills [[Spinning (textiles)|spinning]] [[thread (yarn)|thread]]. As of 1920, there were two factories in Smyrna dyeing [[yarn]], which were owned by British companies. These companies employed over 60,000 people. During this time, there was also a [[French people|French]] owned [[cotton mill|cotton spinning mill]].<ref name=Prothero111>{{cite book|last=Prothero|first=G.W.|title=Anatolia|year=1920|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|location=London|page=111|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11766/view/1/111/}}</ref> The city also produced soap made of refuse [[olive oil]]. An [[ironwork]]s, also owned by the British, produced tools and equipment. Those tools were used to extract [[tannin]] from [[valonia oak]]. As of 1920, the ironwork was exporting 5,000 tons of product a year. The city also produced wooden boxes, which were used for [[Ficus|fig]] and [[raisin]] storage. The wood for the boxes was imported from Austria and [[Romania]].<ref name=Prothero112>{{cite book|last=Prothero|first=G.W.|title=Anatolia|year=1920|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|location=London|page=112|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11766/view/1/112/}}</ref>

==Toponyms==
Several American cities have been named after Smyrna, including [[Smyrna, Georgia]]; [[Smyrna, Tennessee]]; [[Smyrna, North Carolina]]; [[Smyrna, South Carolina]]; [[Smyrna, Delaware]]; [[Smyrna, Michigan]]; [[Smyrna, Maine]]<ref name="google2">{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0593471,-85.2588088,14z|title=Google maps|access-date=August 16, 2015}}</ref> and [[New Smyrna Beach, Florida]].

==See also==
* [[List of ancient Greek cities]]
* [[Ionia]]
* [[Nea Smyrni]]
* [[New Smyrna Beach, Florida]]
* [[On the Quai at Smyrna]] (Hemingway story)
* [[Yeşilova Höyük]]

==References==
{{Reflist|26em}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book | title = Ancient Civilisations and Ruins of Turkey |isbn= 978-0-7103-0776-7 |author= Ekrem Akurgal |author-link= Ekrem Akurgal |publisher=[[Kegan Paul]]| year= 2002}}
* {{cite book|title=Aegean Turkey: An archaeological guide|isbn=978-0-510-03200-5|author=George E. Bean|publisher=Ernest Benn, London|year=1967|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/aegeanturkey0000bean}}
* Philip Mansel, ''Levant: Splendour and Catastrophe on the Mediterranean'', London, John Murray, 11 November 2010, hardback, 480 pages, {{ISBN|978-0-7195-6707-0}}, New Haven, Yale University Press, 24 May 2011, hardback, 470 pages, {{ISBN|978-0-300-17264-5}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071121185853/http://icarus.umkc.edu/sandbox/perseus/pecs/page.4271.a.php Stillman, ed. ''The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites'', 1976.]
* Turner, J. ''[[Grove Dictionary of Art]]''. Oxford University Press, USA; New Ed edition (January 2, 1996); {{ISBN|978-0-19-517068-9}}.
* {{cite book | title = Paradise Lost |isbn= 978-0-340-83787-0 |last= Milton |first= Giles |publisher=[[Sceptre]]| year= 2009}}
{{refend}}
* Ilias Chrissochoidis, [https://www.ahifworld.net/uploads/1/1/7/1/117198244/3_the_burning_of_smyrna.pdf "The Burning of Smyrna: H. C. Jaquith's Report to Admiral Bristol,"] ''American Journal of Contemporary Hellenic Issues'' 14 (Summer 2023).

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite web |url=http://pleiades.stoa.org/places/550893 |title=Places: 550893 (Smyrna/Eurydikeia) |author=Foss, C., S. Mitchell, G. Reger, R. Talbert, T. Elliott, S. Gillies |date=August 2021 |access-date=March 8, 2012<!-- 2:48 pm -->|publisher=Pleiades}}
* [http://www.levantineheritage.com/pdf/remembering_smyrna_neyzi.pdf Remembering Smyrna/Izmir: Shared History, Shared Trauma]
* [http://www.enosismyrneon.gr/ Association of Smyrneans]
* [http://vimeo.com/10069165 Video footage of Smyrna before and after the Fire]
{{refend}}

{{Seven churches of Asia}}
{{Ancient settlements in Turkey}}
{{İzmir}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Ancient Smyrna| ]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 3rd millennium BC]]
[[Category:Aeolian dodecapolis]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Turkey]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Turkey]]
[[Category:New Testament cities]]
[[Category:Geography of İzmir Province]]
[[Category:History of İzmir Province]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in İzmir Province]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in İzmir Province]]
[[Category:Populated places in ancient Ionia]]
[[Category:Places of the Greek genocide]]
[[Category:City-states]]