Smyrna, Turkey
| Σμύρνη or Σμύρνα (Ancient Greek) | |
The Agora of Smyrna (columns of the western stoa)
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 Shown within Turkey
Shown within Turkey
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| Location | İzmir, İzmir Province, Turkey |
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| Region | Ionia |
| Coordinates | 38°25′7″N 27°8′21″E / 38.41861°N 27.13917°ECoordinates: 38°25′7″N 27°8′21″E / 38.41861°N 27.13917°E |
| Type | Settlement |
Smyrna (Ancient Greek: Σμύρνη or Σμύρνα) was an Ancient Greek city located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. This place is known today as İzmir, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prominence. Two sites of the ancient city are today within the boundaries of İzmir. The first site, probably founded by indigenous peoples, rose to prominence during the Archaic Period as one of the principal ancient Greek settlements in western Anatolia. The second, whose foundation is associated with Alexander the Great, reached metropolitan proportions during the period of the Roman Empire. Most of the present-day remains of the ancient city date from 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 Aeolian settlement, and later taken over and developed during the Archaic Period by the Ionians. Smyrna proper was the new city which residents moved to as of the 4th century BC and whose foundation was inspired by Alexander the Great.
Old Smyrna was located 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 archeological site, named Bayraklı Höyüğü, is approximately 700 metres (770 yd) inland, in the Tepekule neighbourhood of Bayraklı at 38°27′51″N 27°10′13″E / 38.46417°N 27.17028°E.
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