An Example of Public Architecture in Old Smyrna:Grand Building
Project no. 32212 · Status: Kapanmış (Yayın bekleniyor) · 2024
Summary
<p>Western Anatolia is a region that has been home to many civilizations. Known as the Ionia Region in ancient times, this area is home to the 12 Ionian cities listed by Herodotus. Smyrna, which joined the union later as the 13th Ionian city, stands out as a highly significant city with continuous settlement layers dating from the Bronze Age to the end of the Classical Period.</p><p>The first excavations in Smyrna were conducted between 1948 and 1951 by Ord. Prof. Dr. E. Akurgal and Prof. Dr. J. Cook. In 1967, Ord. Prof. Dr. Ekrem Akurgal began the second phase of excavations in Smyrna, which continued until 1992. The third phase of excavations began in 1993 under the scientific leadership of Prof. Dr. Meral Akurgal. These excavations, which constitute the third phase of the ancient city of Smyrna (Bayraklı), continued until 2013. The fourth phase of excavations began in 2014 and is currently ongoing, conducted by Prof. Dr. Cumhur Tanrıver on behalf of Ege University. The subject of the master's thesis project, the “Large Structure,” is located in the southeast of the city and immediately west of the wall surrounding the city to the east. Work in this area began in 2018. Excavations have shown that this structure initially had four rooms, with new additions made to the north and south later on. A room was added to the structure, which is thought to have had three rooms in its first phase, during the second phase. The structure's three rooms are located in the north and are separated from each other by a shared wall. The fact that the fourth room, located in the southeast and with its entrance in the west, was built on a limestone base is important because it presents us with the only example of Ancient Smyrna that has been uncovered to date. When compared to the rooms of other houses in the city dating to the Classical Period, the rooms of this structure are larger in size. For these reasons, it is thought that this structure was more than just a residence; it was a more special, public-type structure.</p>