The History of the Ancient Greek City of Smyrna

Arches successful the Ancient Greek metropolis of Smyrna. The metropolis was a halfway of Greek civilization for millennia earlier each traces of Greek radical were destroyed successful the Smyrna Fire successful 1922. Credit: Benh LIEU SONG/CC BY-SA 2.0

Smyrna was erstwhile 1 of the astir illustrious of each past and Hellenistic-era Greek cities. One of the main centers of Greek colony successful occidental Anatolia, it erstwhile had a temple dedicated to Athena and was the residence of the epic writer Homer.

Rebuilt during the Hellenistic era, it flourished for immoderate time, becoming a hub of Armenian and Greek civilization for galore years adjacent aft the Turkish concern of the country centuries later. It remained a commercialized and taste hub of Asia Minor until the cataclysmic demolition of the metropolis successful 1922 astatine the hands of the Turks.

On that fateful time successful April of 1922, the Greek beingness astatine Smyrna was ended, and overmuch of their humanities bequest successful Asia Minor was erased from the map.

Ancient metropolis of Smyrna a hub of Greek, Armenian cultures

Located astatine a strategical constituent connected the Aegean seashore of Anatolia, the oldest remains of the city, apt founded by indigenous peoples, are wrong the metropolis that is present called Izmir, Turkey.

Smyrna had archetypal risen to prominence during the Archaic Period arsenic 1 of the main past Greek settlements successful occidental Anatolia. The 2nd flourishing of the metropolis occurred erstwhile it reached the presumption of a metropolis during the Roman Empire.

Ancient Smyrna was founded successful astir the 11th period BC, archetypal arsenic an Aeolian settlement, and aboriginal taken implicit and developed during the Archaic Period by the Ionians. Smyrna due was the caller metropolis to which residents moved successful the 4th period BC, whose restoration to glory was inspired by Alexander the Great.

Legend says that the metropolis derived its sanction from an eponymous Amazon named Σμύρνα (Smyrna), which was besides the sanction of a 4th successful the metropolis of Ephesus.

In inscriptions and coins, the sanction often was written arsenic Ζμύρνα (Zmýrna), with Ζμυρναῖος (Zmyrnaîos, meaning “of Smyrna”).

The sanction Smyrna whitethorn besides person derived from the past Greek connection for the costly aromatic substance known arsenic myrrh, smýrna, which was the main export of the metropolis successful past times.

Third millennium to 687 BC

The portion was settled astatine slightest arsenic of the opening of the 3rd millennium BC, oregon possibly adjacent earlier, arsenic suggested by finds made successful excavations since 2005. Throughout classical antiquity, Smyrna was a starring city-state of Ionia with power implicit the shores and islands of the Aegean.

The aboriginal Aeolian Greek settlers of Lesbos and Cyme, expanding eastwards, occupied the vale of Smyrna. It was portion of the confederacy of Aeolian city-states, marking the Aeolian frontier with the Ionian colonies.

Smyrna was located astatine the rima of the tiny stream Hermus astatine the caput of a heavy limb of the oversea that reached acold inland. This enabled Greek merchant ships to sail into the bosom of Lydia, allowing the metropolis to go portion of a large commercialized way betwixt Anatolia and the Aegean.

During the 7th period BC, Smyrna roseate to powerfulness and splendor, arsenic evidenced by its operation of a magnificent temple dedicated to Athena astatine that time. A beardown subject fortress was built, astir apt by the Smyrnaean Ionians to bid the vale of Nymphi, the ruins of which are inactive imposing.

According to Theognis, who was penning during the 500s BC, it was thing different than the misdeed of pridefulness that destroyed Smyrna. The historiographer Mimnermus lamented what helium called the degeneracy of the citizens of his day, who could nary longer stem the advances from the Lydians.

Finally, the Lydian king Alyattes, who lived from 609 to 560 BC and who was the begetter of King Croesus, conquered the metropolis and sacked it; though Smyrna did not cease to exist, Greek beingness and governmental unity were destroyed, and the polis was reorganized arsenic a village.

Smyrna is mentioned successful a fragment of Pindar and successful an inscription successful 388 BC, but its greatness was agelong past astatine that time. Alexander the Great conceived the thought of restoring the Greek metropolis successful a strategy that was, according to Strabo, really carried retired nether Antigonus, who lived from 316 to 301 BC and Lysimachus, who lived from 301 BC to 281 BC, who enlarged and fortified the city.

The ruined acropolis of the past city, the “crown of Smyrna,” had been connected a highest astir 380 meters (1,250 feet) high, which overlooks the northeast portion of the gulf. The modern metropolis was constructed atop the aboriginal Hellenistic-era city.

The agora of Smyrna, built during the Hellenistic epoch and rebuilt aft the earthquake of 178 AD by the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Credit: Carole Raddato /CC BY-SA 2.0

The ruins of a temple are inactive connected the acme of the mountain. The walls built nether Lysimachus crossed the acme of this hill, and the acropolis occupied the precise top. The roadworthy from Ephesus entered the metropolis by the Ephesian gross adjacent which was erstwhile a gymnasium.

Closer to the acropolis, the outline of the stadium is inactive visible, and the theatre was situated connected the northbound slope. Smyrna erstwhile possessed 2 harbors; the interior bay was a tiny basin with a constrictive entranceway which was partially filled up by Tamerlane successful 1402 AD.

In 133 BC, erstwhile the past Attalid king, Attalus III, died without an heir, his volition conferred his full kingdom, including Smyrna, to the Romans. They soon made it portion of the Roman state of Asia, with Pergamum arsenic the capital. Smyrna remained a large seaport and 1 of the main cities of Roman Asia, vying with Ephesus and Pergamum for the rubric “First City of Asia.”

A Christian religion and a bishopric existed present from the precise aboriginal days of Christianity, astir apt originating successful the sizeable Jewish colony there. It was 1 of the “Seven Churches” addressed successful the Book of Revelation.

Saint Ignatius of Antioch visited Smyrna and aboriginal wrote letters to its celebrated bishop, Polycarp. A mob consisting of Jews and pagans abetted the martyrdom of Polycarp successful AD 153. Saint Irenaeus, who heard Polycarp’s orations arsenic a boy, was astir apt a autochthonal of Smyrna.

After a destructive earthquake successful 178 AD, Smyrna was rebuilt during the 2nd period AD nether the  Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. After Constantinople became the spot of authorities of the Empire, commercialized betwixt Anatolia and the West diminished successful importance, and Smyrna declined.

The Seljuq commandant Tzachas seized Smyrna successful 1084 and utilized it arsenic a basal for naval raids, but the metropolis was recovered by the wide John Doukas.

The metropolis was respective times ravaged by the Turks and had go rather ruinous erstwhile the Nicaean emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes rebuilt it successful astir the twelvemonth 1222.

Repeated Ottoman and Asiatic incursions

In the twelvemonth 1403, Timur decisively defeated the Knights Hospitaller astatine Smyrna. Ibn Batuta recovered it inactive mostly successful ruins erstwhile the homonymous chieftain of the Beylik of Aydın conquered it astir 1330 and made his son, Umur, governor. It became the larboard of the emirate astatine that time.

On October 28, 1344, during the Smyrniote Crusade, the combined forces of the Knights Hospitallers of Rhodes, the Republic of Venice, the Papal States, and the Kingdom of Cyprus, captured some the harbor and metropolis from the Turks, which they held for astir sixty years.

In 1402, the Central Asian warlord Tamerlane stormed the municipality and massacred astir each the inhabitants. The Mongol conquest was lone temporary; Smyrna was reclaimed by the Turks, aft which it became Ottoman successful 1425.

However, the longstanding Greek power was inactive truthful beardown successful the country that the Turks called it “Smyrna of the infidels.”

During the precocious 19th and aboriginal 20th century, the Greek citizens of Smyrna had made it an important fiscal and taste halfway of the full Greek world. Out of the 391 factories successful Smyrna, 322 belonged to section Greeks. Education was besides dominated by the section Greek community, with 67 antheral and 4 pistillate schools successful total.

Smyrna Catastrophe: the genocide of the Greeks successful Asia Minor

Smyrna was undoubtedly 1 of the wealthiest cities, not lone successful the Ottoman Empire, but of the full of Europe.

It was location to 1 of the largest populations of Greeks and Armenians successful the Empire.

Together, they constituted the Christian assemblage of the city, which lived peacefully broadside by broadside with the Muslim and Jewish communities for centuries.

However, politics, and the competing interests of the main planetary powers, alongside the rising tide of nationalism and the outbreak of the First World War, were the factors that determined the destiny of Smyrna and its citizens for the remainder of the twentieth period and beyond.

After the extremity of the First World War, Greece occupied Smyrna opening connected May 15, 1919, putting successful spot a subject administration. Greek premier Eleftherios Venizelos had plans to annex Smyrna, and helium seemed to beryllium realizing his nonsubjective successful the Treaty of Sèvres, signed August 10, 1920. However, this pact was not ratified by the parties; the Treaty of Peace of Lausanne replaced it.

The concern of Smyrna came to an end, however, erstwhile the Turkish service of Kemal Atatürk entered the metropolis connected September 9, 1922, astatine the extremity of the Greco-Turkish War, which lasted from 1919 to 1922.

Eyewitnesses astatine the clip accidental that a occurrence broke retired successful the Greek and Armenian quarters of the metropolis connected September 13, 1922, known arsenic the Great Fire of Smyrna. The decease toll is estimated to scope from 10,000 to 100,000.

It was a cataclysmic lawsuit of specified tremendous value for modern Greek past that it shaped procreation upon procreation aft 1922, adding yet different unforgettable —and unutterably tragic — milestone to Greece’s agelong history.

Historians of the clip period, taking countless oculus witnesser and written accounts of the event, person agreed that Turkish mobs acceptable the Greek conception of the metropolis connected fire.

Turkey continues to contradict this, claiming that it was Armenians, oregon adjacent Greeks themselves, who acceptable the metropolis ablaze.

Eyewitness reports authorities that the Great Fire of Smyrna that began connected September 13th lasted for astir 9 afloat days until September 22nd.

The fire’s results were catastrophic, with the full Greek and Armenian quarters of the metropolis being wholly annihilated. The systematic evacuation of Greeks connected the quay started connected September 24th, erstwhile the archetypal Greek ships entered the harbor nether the supervision of Allied destroyers.

Some 150,000 to 200,000 Greeks were evacuated successful total. The surviving Greeks near for Greece and parts beyond successful 1923, arsenic portion of the colonisation speech betwixt Greece and Turkey, a stipulation of the Treaty of Lausanne, which formally ended the Greco-Turkish War.

Churches, ornate villas, and mansions of large architectural importance, arsenic good arsenic schools and full marketplace areas, were gone everlastingly without a trace. And with them went the Greek beingness successful Smyrna, which had been determination since clip immemorial.

Modern Izmir built connected ashes of aged city

Although determination was thing near of the magnificent mansions and different buildings of the Greek 4th of the city, the halfway of the precocious Hellenistic and aboriginal Roman Smyrna is preserved wrong the Agora Open Air Museum successful Izmir.

This consists of 5 parts, including the agora area, the basal of the bluish basilica gate, the stoa, and the past market.

Systematic archaeological probe is being pursued astatine the sites of some the aged and the caller cities. This has been conducted since 1997 for Old Smyrna and since 2002 for the Classical Period metropolis successful collaboration betwixt the İzmir Archaeology Museum and the Metropolitan Municipality of İzmir.

The archaeologists and the section authorities, means permitting, are besides keenly eyeing a neighboring multi-story parking garage, which is known to person been built implicit an important portion of the past city. During the contiguous renovations the aged restorations, made successful concrete, are gradually being replaced by marble.

The caller excavation has uncovered the agora’s bluish gate. It has been concluded that alleviation figures of the goddess Hestia recovered successful these digs were a continuation of the Zeus altar uncovered during the archetypal digs.

Statues of the gods Hermes, Dionysos, Eros, and Heracles person besides been found, arsenic good arsenic galore different statues, heads, reliefs, figurines, and monuments of radical and animals made of marble, stone, bone, glass, metal, and terracotta. Inscriptions recovered present besides notably database the names of those who provided assistance to Smyrna aft the earthquake of 178 AD.