Izmir - Agora
The word Agora, which comes from Greek, means "gathering place, city square, market, or trading area". In ancient times, agoras were known to be the focal point of the city, serving not only commercial, political, and religious functions but also being a hub for the arts and a site for many social events. Every city in ancient times had at least one agora, while many larger cities typically had two. One of these was the state agora, where state business was conducted and various public buildings were located, while the other was the commercial agora that focused on trade activities.
The Izmir agora was established in the 4th century BC on the northern slope of Pagos (Kadifekale), where ancient Smyrna was moved. This structure, surrounded by important public buildings of the period, is the state agora of the city.
Most of the remains of the agora, built in the Hellenistic period, belong to the Roman agora reconstructed after the earthquake in 178 AD with the support of Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
The Smyrna agora was planned in a rectangular form, consisting of a large courtyard with columned galleries (stoa) surrounding it. The north and west stoas unearthed by excavations stand on a basement level. The north stoa has basilica-like architectural features.
Basilica
Basilicas are structures designed with a wide and high central area flanked by narrower and lower parallel corridors. As such, Roman basilicas, which paved the way for Christian churches in plan features, served as a type of courthouse for handling legal affairs in the city. Furthermore, they were preferred for the activities of merchants and bankers that directed the commercial life of the city.
The basilica located on the north wing of the agora has external dimensions of 165 x 28 m, giving it a rectangular plan. In terms of size, the Smyrna agora basilica is the largest known Roman basilica.
The magnificent basement, with cross vaults seen at both eastern and western ends, is among the finest examples of Roman architecture.
On the north facade of the basilica, one of the two monumental doors leading to the basement has been completely uncovered.
Toward the end of the Roman period, the state agora began to acquire a commercial meaning, as evidenced by the vaulted shops uncovered on the northern facade of the basilica.
West Stoa
The west stoa, which consisted of galleries separated by three rows of columns, was also elevated above a basement. Today, it is understood that the west stoa was a two-story structure rising above the basement, which typically has arched cellars. The ground floor, accessed by three steps from the courtyard, and the second floor, with a wooden floor, were places where people could promenade protected from rain and sun in ancient times.
Possibly, some walls of the basement galleries were filled in later to create cisterns, which represent one of the finest examples that have survived to the present day.
The columns of the first floor of the west stoa facing the courtyard were erected in the 1940s.
Faustina Gate and Ancient Street
One of the parallel streets oriented east-west in the grid-planned city of Smyrna ran through the agora. Likely, at the western entrance to the agora, where a street divides it into two equal parts, there is a magnificent gate.
It is believed that the gate has two openings, with the portrait relief of Faustina, the wife of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, located at the center of the northern arch. It is thought that the second opening, which is below the used street, possibly housed the portrait of Marcus Aurelius. The citizens of Smyrna paid their debt of gratitude to these two figures for having them rebuild the agora after it was destroyed by the earthquake in 178 AD.
The arched gate, which was restored in the 1940s with incorrect measurements, was renovated in 2004 to its original form.
Graffiti
Graffiti, which includes wall paintings and writings from the Roman period, are found on the plaster surfaces of the walls and arches in the basement of the basilica. Apart from those drawn with a mixture of iron and oak root ink, there are also examples made using a scratching technique.
Graffiti provide essential insights into daily social life during the Roman period. Topics covered in the graffiti range from love games to gladiatorial contests, sexuality to sailboat images, names of loved ones, birds, ships, and riddles. The competition between the three Radiant cities of Western Anatolia during the Roman period—Pergamon, Ephesus, and Smyrna—can even be traced in the city slogans found in the graffiti, which reflect a rivalry among ordinary people.
The graffiti discovered in the basilica's basement are unique in many aspects. Firstly, these finds are some of the oldest graffiti ever made using a material containing iron and oak root. Additionally, while most written sources encountered in the studies of ancient times are often official and religious in nature, the Greek inscriptions of the Smyrna Agora graffiti reflect traces of ordinary people's daily lives. The basilica's graffiti provide crucial clues about the early times of Christianity. Another key feature of these graffiti is that they encompass the most extensive representations found globally. Due to these attributes, the specified graffiti holds a unique position in the archaeological literature of the world.
WORKS - PROJECTS
The first archaeological excavations in Smyrna were conducted between 1933 and 1941 as a joint effort between the Izmir Museum Directorate and the History Institute. Excavations began around the in-situ preserved columns of the basilica and later expanded to the West Stoa and then the East Stoa.
Today, the majority of the West Portico and a small portion of the East Portico, as well as the entire northern Basilica, have been uncovered. It is expected that there is a structure for the South Portico in the area south of the site, used as green space. Recent excavation work has also revealed the presence of a Bouleuterion / Odeion adjacent to the West Portico. Another urban finding from the excavations is the east-west oriented street, named the North Street, just north of the agora. Among the finds, an architrave block inscription signals the existence of a Nemesis Temple within or near the agora, as mentioned by other ancient sources, yet pinpointing its exact location is still not possible.
The first excavations carried out in Smyrna Agora between 1933 and 1941 were one of the first excavation activities of the Turkish Republic, conducted in collaboration with the Izmir Museum Directorate and the History Institute. In 1944, a brief report on the excavation conducted by R. Duyuran was published, and later, in 1950, a relatively more comprehensive article was published by R. Naumann and S. Kantar.
After these dates, work on the Agora remained halted for a long time, and subsequently, frequent examination and cleaning works were done. During these efforts at the Agora site, salvage excavations took place between 1996 and 2006 with the leadership of the Izmir Museum in collaboration with the Izmir Governorate, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, and Izmir Chamber of Commerce.
Since July 2007, the excavations named Smyrna Ancient City Excavations, conducted by a team led by Associate Professor Dr. Akın Ersoy on behalf of Izmir Katip Celebi University, have been ongoing at various other points in the city alongside the Agora site. Recent excavations at Smyrna Agora, Basmane Altınpark, Kadifekale, and the Smyrna Theatre are still continuing.