In ancient times, the Aegean coastline of Western Anatolia between Izmir and Edremit Bay was known as Aiolis.
It is a fertile and beautiful Anatolian corner extending to the Gediz River in the south and Bakırçay in the north. In addition, Lesbos Island is also within the borders of the region.
In this region, there are many cities founded by the Aiols around 1050 BC. Famous historian Herodotus counts 12 Aeolian cities in this region, similar to Ionia.
Lesbos-Lesbos
Elaia-Zeytindagi
Pitane-Çandarlı
Grynion-Temaşlık
Kyme- Nemrut
Aigai- Nemrutkale
Myrina- Aliaga
Temnos-Relative
Larissa-Buruncuk
Aigiroessa-Kavaklıdere
Neonteikhıs-Doğaköy
Smyrna to Izmir
Gryneion is 13 km from İzmir Aliağa. away, on the Aliağa-Yenişakran road, (Çıfıtkale), is an archaeological site.
Famous historian Herodot refers to this place as Gryna.
It is 75 km from İzmir Province, 28 km from Bergama district. It is 50 km from Dikili District.
It is understood from the researches and the remains that it was an important port city of the time.
It is the place of prophecy where the temple of Apollo is located.
GRYNEION / GRYNA It was the first time that Gryneion entered the historical scene BC. 5th Century. comes out. The city, which was in the hands of the Persians in this period, gained its freedom after 479 BC and entered the Attica Delos Union.
Although the historian Pilinius mentions that Gryneion had a port, today its exact location is unknown.
The same author mentions oysters grown in the Gryneion and Myrina regions. There are plenty of mussels and oysters on the shores of this region even today. For this reason, it is not surprising that Gryneion coins have depictions of Apollo on one side and an oyster on the other.
Although the travelers discovered the city in the 19th century, there is not much left as a ruin today.
The sanctuary was probably on the peninsula on the west side of the İzmir-Çanakkale road.
Some tombs and a Roman Period house were found during the excavations.
It turned out that Gryneion is not only a prophecy center but also a long-term settlement.
The first scientific excavations were carried out by the Bergama Archeology Museum in the Necropolis (cemetery) of the city between 1973 and 75.
The finds are dated between the 7th and 5th centuries BC.
In 1992, a salvage excavation was carried out in the Gryneion Necropolis by the Izmir Archeology Museum.
Myrina, the second largest city in the Aiolis Region after Kyme, is located in the north of Aliağa district of İzmir province.
The city in the southwest of Gryneion (Şakran) is located on the shore of Çandarlı (Elaitikos) gulf and at the mouth of Güzelhisar (Titnaios) stream.
It is a port city built on two hills. Today, the walls of some buildings, the harbor structure and the possible location of the theater can be chosen.
It is rumored that the city was founded by the Amazon queen Myrina and got its name from its founder.
The name of the city, which was helped to rebuild by the emperor Tiberius after the earthquake, was changed to Sebastopolis in 17 AD for a while.
It was excavated in Myrina by E.POTTIER and S.REINACH, members of the Athens French School, between 1880-1882.
A small number of Archaic (570-480 BC) and many Hellenistic period (330-30 BC) finds were unearthed during these excavations.
The city, which had suffered a great earthquake in 106 A.D. It is understood that in the 4th and 5th centuries it was an episcopal center under the Ephesus Metropolitan.
There is only one burial in the tombs, most of which consist of a rectangular pit dug into a calcareous base.
Tombs vary greatly in the richness of the items they contain.
Among the finds are coins, vessels for eating and drinking the deceased, items used in daily life, oil lamps, mirrors, needles, fragrance vessels and the famous terracotta figurines of the city.
Precious jewelery, on the other hand, are rare.
Among the 1000 terracotta figurines found during excavations, men, women, children, gods and animals can be found.
Numerous Hellenistic and a few Archaic finds have been unearthed.
Eros and Aphrodite figurines are extremely common.
With this aspect, Myrina was a center famous for its terracotta figurines in the Hellenistic Period.
The function of the figurines is controversial, probably they should have items that people love while living.
The artifacts found as a result of excavations are today in the Louvre Museum and Istanbul Archeology Museum.
STRABON from Amasya, who knows the ancient Anatolian geography well, says; In ancient times, there were many cities in Anatolia called Larissa except for the Alois Region. A common feature of these is that they are established on the alluvium brought by the rivers.
Larissa means LAR (A) ASSA-ISSA-SAND CITY in LUVI language. (Prof. Dr. Bilge UMAR-Historical names in Turkey)
In Anatolia, in the HITIT Documents, a city named LARIA is also mentioned. LARİSSA in Buruncuk is also in the fertile MENEMEN plain, formed by the GEDİZ (KADYS / HERMOS) river, by piling sand fillers in the Gulf of İzmir.
Larisa or Larissa is one of the cities of the Aiolis Region.
Between 1902-1904, Germans and Swedes conducted joint research and excavations.
Some of the artifacts found in the excavations are in Istanbul and some are in Izmir Archeology Museum.
According to the data obtained from excavations and researches, settlement started in the city in the 7th century BC.
The Archaic Period finds are among the best known examples of Aeolian Architecture in the 6-5-4 centuries BC.
There are city walls from the Archaic and Hellenistic Periods around the city.
The palace structure dating back to 330 BC was unearthed.
Traces of streets and houses can be seen easily in the city.
Located on the hill just behind Buruncuk village, there are structures from three different periods in the acropolis, which is surrounded by walls dating between 1500 and 1100 BC.
The main gate of the city is reached from the road formed by the ancient paving stones, a large part of which can still be seen today.
In recent studies, a peristyle ** house with megarons * on both sides was unearthed.
In addition, there are two temples, palaces, wells and houses very close to each other, one of which belongs to Athena and the other is unknown.
Just below the acropolis, the ruins of the city walls, the main entrance gate of the city walls, and grave monuments have survived.
Archaeologists such as J.Böhlau, K. Schefold, Franz Miltner Prof. Dr. Hayat Erkanal Turk, German and Swedish conducted the archaeological researches in Larissa in 1902-1934.
The waterways formed by terracotta pipes in Larissa show an interesting water distribution system.
In addition, with the help of these waterways, water was brought to the city from the mountains by aqueducts.
The water wells used by the villagers still exist today. There is a necropolis-cemetery in the east.
Architectural pieces from the Archaic period unearthed in the excavations are in the Izmir Museum, and pieces such as terracotta * coatings and pottery are in the Istanbul Archeology Museum.
Temnos (Görece Kale) is within the borders of Görece Village and in the mountainous region to the northeast of Menemen.
Herodotus mentions Temnos in Southern Aiolia.
It is understood that the city developed in the Classical Period.
BC 3. Century, it joined the lands of Pergamon and entered the Roman rule and A.D. 9. The settlement continued until the century.
The Temnos Project was initiated in 2006 by Giuseppe Ragone from the University of Rome.
During the geophysical surveys on the upper terrace of the Agora, some old excavation pits and remains that are thought to be city walls or large terrace foundations were found.
Temnos (Görece Kale) is within the borders of Görece Village and in the mountainous region to the northeast of Menemen.
Herodotus mentions Temnos in Southern Aiolia.
It is understood that the city developed in the Classical Period.
BC 3. Century, it joined the lands of Pergamon and entered the Roman rule and A.D. 9. The settlement continued until the century.
The Temnos Project was initiated in 2006 by Giuseppe Ragone from the University of Rome.
During the geophysical surveys on the upper terrace of the Agora, some old excavation pits and remains that are thought to be city walls or large terrace foundations were found.,
Neonteikhos-Doğaköy
It is on the mountains in the north east of the Menemen Plain.
It is one of the 12 Aeolian cities counted by Herodotus.
Strabon mentions that the Hellens who came to the region after the Troia War, when they encountered the resistance of the Pelasglar on the Kyme coast, established a base in a place called Neonteikhos.
The determination that the millstones belong to an olive oil factory built in the Roman period with a stone press on the plain located in the north of the city is an indication of the abundance of olive trees in this area at that time.
Apart from a wall relief seen in the area called Serden Rocks, no other finds belonging to the city were found.
Prof. Dr. Bilge Umar, in his book Aiolis, writes that no archaeological excavations have yet been made in the Ancient City of Neon Teikhos and that archaeological remains can be found under the ground. Prof. dr. Ersin Doğer also agrees with this view.
The name of the city comes from the Hellenistic language and means "the place with plenty of black poplar".
Prof. Bilge Umar draws attention to the connection of the name Aigiroessa with the word Aiga.
Austrian diplomat Anton von Osten claimed that the ruins in Kavaklıdere Village between Bornova and Kemalpaşa in 1825 belong to the Ancient City of Aigiroessa.
Although these remains cannot be identified today, the relatives of Kavaklıdere Village were accepted as the location of the city.
There are many other ancient city ruins worth visiting and seeing around İzmir's nearby districts, Aliağa and Menemen.
Some of these are the lima of the period and have been submerged.
There are many works of art in the region as terecota, terracotta and stone workmanship is developed.
Today, Menemen is famous for its earthworks.
My friend of Foça origin remembers that they went to buy millstone from Buruncuk for the olive oil factory.
Aigai
Aigai
Aigai
City of Artists: Teos Ancient City, Seferihisar
The Ancient City of Teos, one of the most important trade cities of the Archaic, Roman and Hellenistic periods, was founded by the Boiotia king Athamas in the millennia BCE
City of Artists: Teos Ancient City, Seferihisar
City of Artists: Teos Ancient City, Seferihisar
City of Artists: Teos Ancient City, Seferihisar
