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History
of Izmir
 Ancient Smyrna was founded on an island that takes place at the northeast
of the bay. During the recent centuries, Bornova Plain had been formed
with the silt that was brought by torrents of River Meles from Mount
Yamanlar (Sipylos) and the peninsula finally transformed into a hill.
A sample wine yard of Izmir Wine and Beer Factory of TEKEL Management is
located on this hill called Tepekule.
In Izmir, excavations could only go back to 3000 B.C. In the light of the
excavations, it is known that the first settlements were founded at the
top of the hill at 3-5m high from sea level. This first settlement was
dated from Ancient Bronze Age.
Hittites were using the writing (in 1800-1200 B.C.) in Anatolia, which
helped to reach the historic ages. However, in 1200s B.C., the tribes
coming from Balkans demolished Troy VII and Hattusas, the capital of
Hittites. With this, a Dark Age called Iron Age restarted in Middle and
West Anatolia. The Iron Age continued until writing was rediscovered in
730 B.C. in Phrygian Kingdom and in 650 B.C. in the rest of the Middle and
West Anatolia.
During the Iron Age the houses were huge, small, one roomed buildings. The
oldest house that has been finally brought to daylight is dated at 925-900
B.C. The walls of this well-preserved one roomed house (2, 45 x 4m) were
all made of sun-dried bricks and the roof of the house was made of reeds.
People started to protect their hometown with thick ramparts made of sun-dried
bricks. From now on İzmir achieved an identity of city-state. A man called
Baseleus was most probably in charge of the city. Migrants and bigwigs
constituted the noble class. The population living inside the city walls
were approximately a thousand people. The public of city-state was living
in near-by villages. The fields, olive trees, wine yards, and the
workshops of potters and stonecutters of ancient İzmir were all located in
those villages. People made their living on agriculture and fishing.
HOMER, SON OF MELES
 The first and the greatest poet of history and the poet of the legendary
works named Iliad and Odyssey, Homer was born in İzmir. There is no other
poet like Homer, who lived between 750-700 B.C. and affected all
civilizations in the world.
Seven cities claimed that Homer is their countryman. These cities are
Salamis, Argos, Athens, Rhodes, Chios, Kolophon, and Smyrna. It is
impossible for him to be from Salamis, Argos, Athens or Rhodos since he
wrote his legends with a mixture of Ionian-Aeolian style that are
particularly Anatolian dialects. He is said to be exiled to Chios. For
this reason there is a place called Homer Rocks on the particular island.
Moreover, the most favourite nickname of Homer was ‘Melesigenes’ which
means ‘Child of Meles Brook’. It becomes obvious that Homer was born in
İzmir since Meles Brook is located within the territory of the city.
Homer’s masterpiece Iliad Legend that tells about the last forty days of
the war that had continued for ten years between the Greeks and the
Anatolian Trojans is constitute of 16.000 lines. It is obvious that
patriot Homer supported the Trojans and showed Greek leaders and warriors
as truculent and cruel in this legend. This essentially proves that Homer
is an Anatolian.
Homer’s second epic ‘Odyssey’, on the other hand, tells about the period
ten years after the Trojan War. The trial of a warrior named ‘Odysseus’
who is trying to return to his hometown is told in the epic. The epic is
constituted of 12.000 lines. The oldest records of history and culture; ‘‘Iliad’’
and ‘‘Odyssey’’ continue their poetic influence in today’s world as the
most impressive stories of world literature.
Aristotle tells about the birth of Homer as: ‘‘Kriteis, the daughter of
Ios Island gets pregnant by a deity during the Ion Migration. Although,
she escapes to Egina, the pirates present her to the Lydian King Maion in
İzmir. Kriteis falls in love with the king and they get married. After a
while, Kriteis gives birth to Homer near Meles Brook and dies after. Maion
brings this child up and names him as ‘Melesigenes’ (‘Child of Meles’) to
emphasize the place where he was born.’’
Although, various writers of antique age told different stories they
agreed on two subjects concerning his life: The blind Homer was born in
Izmir and read his poems in the shores of Meles Brook and sing his legends
with the accompaniment of lyre near the brook which flows to mingle with
the sea.
The most important sacred place of the town was the Temple of Athens. The
oldest ruin preserved until today dates back to 725-700 B.C.
The period in which the city had reached its peak was between 650-545 B.C.
This period lasted hundred-years and was considered to be the most
powerful period of the whole Ion Civilization. Under the leadership of
Miletos, colonies were established in Egypt, Syria, west coasts of Lebanon,
Marmara Region, Black sea and East Hellen competed and replaced the place
of Greece in various fields and subjects. In this period, it is apparent
that Izmir not only dealed with agriculture but also participated in
Mediterranean trade.
One of the most important signs of that great period in Izmir is the
spreading of writing out beginning with 650 B.C. There were many
presentation inscriptions in the gifts that were dedicated to Goddess
Athena. Few people among the public were literate. The temple of Athens
found in excavations dated back to 640-580 B.C. The oldest and the most
beautiful capitals have been found in Izmir.
The oldest model of many-roomed-type house of this period was found in
ancient Izmir. Known to be the oldest house having so many rooms under its
roof, this house was built in the second half of 7th century B.C. The
house is two-floored and has five rooms with a courtyard. The houses
before this type were composed of megarons standing adjacent to each other.
Izmir was built on the Hippodamian system in which streets intersect at
right angles even in the second half of 7th century, the streets were
lying from north to south, and from east to west directions and the houses
all overlooked to the south. This city plan, which would take the name of
Hippodamos later in 5th century B.C., had already been known in Near East.
Bayraklı city plan is the earliest model of this type in the West. The
oldest parquetry road of Ion Civilization was brought to daylight in
Ancient Izmir.
The oldest civil work of architecture in Ancient Izmir, belonging to
Hellen’s is the beautiful stone fountain, built in the first half of 7th
century. Standing on the Mt Yamanlar, the Tomb of Tantalos is a beautiful
sample of the tholos type monumental tombs. The grave room of Tantalos’
tumulus was in the plan of the mentioned fountain, displaying a style
called isopata that means the construction has a rectangle plan, covered
by vaults made with corbel technique. Known as Tomb of Tantalos this
monumental work is thought to be the tomb of Basileus or Tyrant who ruled
ancient Smyrna in 580-520 B.C.
TANTALOS IN
MYTHOLOGY
Tantalos, the son of Zeus was the only mortal that can dine with gods. He
was so proud that he started to look down on the gods. In order to show
the gods as cannibals, he sacrificed his son Pelops and served him in the
dinner. However, the gods realized that it was human meat and left the
table and sent Tantalos to hell. Tantalos stands in knee-deep clean water,
but anytime he bends over to drink, the water is sucked up by the ground.
Whenever he wants to reach the most delicious fruits hanging above him,
they rise up. In abundance of food and water, King Tantalos suffered from
hunger and thirst since then it is called Tantalos Torture.
The English word ‘tantalize’which means ‘‘desiring something but inability
of getting’’ comes from this mythological story. The richness of the city
impressed the Lydians and caused them to battle with Izmir. Lydian army
captured the city in 610-600 B.C and they fired and destroyed Izmir.
However, the people managed to re-build their city again.
The fall of Ancient Izmir is the result of the Persian invasion. Persian
emperor required the towns of Aegean coast to prop himself against Lydians
while their army was going forward in Anatolia. In order to punish the
towns, which refuse to support him, the Persian Emperor attacked Izmir
with the other towns after conquering Sardis, the capital of Lydia. As a
result of the attacks of Persian army, Izmir was destroyed in 545 B.C.
After this great destruction, no city type settlement was observed in
Bayraklı.
Alexander the Great defeated Darius in Issus in 333 B.C. and captured the
whole East. The cities witnessed a great increase in population. During
this period, Alexandria, Rhodes, Pergamon, and Ephesus reached a
population over 100.000. A few thousand people could live in the city
walls of ancient Izmir founded on a small hill. Therefore, a new larger
city was established on the skirts of Kadifekale in 300 B.C.
Becoming a Roman territory in 133 B.C., Izmir started to live a golden
period for the second time. Due to the importance that the city achieved,
the Roman Emperors who came to Anatolia also visited Izmir. Emperor
Hadrianus also visited Izmir in his journey in 121-125 AD.
The most important event that Izmir witnessed in 178 AD was the
devastating earthquake. Considered to be one of the severest disasters
happened in the city, the earthquake razed the town to the ground in 178
AD. The destruction was so big that the support of the Empire for re-building
was inevitable. Emperor Marcus Aurelius had such a great contribution in
the rebuilding activities that the city was even founded again.
Various works of art are thought to be made in the city during the period
of Roman Empire. The streets were completely covered with stones and these
stones became dominant in the general view of the city. Among the
constructions that were built in Izmir during the Roman era, few traces
remained from the stadium at west and from the theatre in the northwest
skirt of Mount Pagos. On the other hand, the Agora of the state is well
preserved.
After the Roman Empire had been separated, İzmir became a territory of the
East Roman Empire known as Byzantium. Izmir had become a religious center
since the early times of Byzantines. However, the city did not display
much progress. Although the Hun Emperor Attilla took the control of the
city, this sovereignty could not last long and the city was taken back by
the Byzantines.
Turks first captured Izmir under the command of Kutalmışoğlu Süleyman Şah
in 1076. Çakabey conquered Klazomenai, FoCa, Chios, Samos and Istankoy
Islands. After the death of Cakabey, the town and its vicinity was
conquered by the Byzantines in 1098. Izmir was captured by the Knights of
Rhodes when Istanbul was conquered by crusaders.
Smyrna became a Turkish land when the Turkish sailor Umur Bey took the
city back from Catholic Knights in 1320. During the period of
principalities, some part of the city and its surroundings was taken under
the sovereignty of both Aydınogulları and Saruhanogulları Principalities.
Murat II occupied Izmir in 1422 and Izmir became an Ottoman territory.
After some privileges were given to foreigners in 1620, Izmir became one
of the most important trade centers of Ottomans. Consulates of foreign
countries increased because of the capitulations given to Europe by the
Ottomans. It is known that these consulates dealt with trade. Each
consulate had its own quay and their ships were anchoring there. The fire
Izmir witnessed after the devastating earthquake happened in 1688,
demolished the whole city. However, after the fire and the earthquake the
city was rapidly reconstructed. In 18th and 19th centuries, Izmir became
popular among the French, English, Dutch and Italian merchants. Being a
multinational trade center in Ottoman Empire, Izmir was occupied by Greek
Army on 15 May 1919 . This occupation came to an end on September 9, 1922.
However, on September 13, Izmir could not escape from experiencing
probably the greatest disaster of its history. The fire, which started in
Basmane Quarter, destroyed more than 20.000 buildings in an area of
2.600.000 m². This fire unfortunately destroyed ¾ of the city. However,
the city rose again like a Phoenix from its ashes after the proclamation
of the Turkish Republic in 1923.
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