İzmir Klazomenai Archaeological Site

Klazomenai, which is mentioned among the twelve Ionian cities, is located on the north coast of Urla – Çeşme peninsula, in the middle of Izmir Bay. It is thought that the territory of Klazomenai (khora) extends close to Smyrna in the east. The Temple of Apollo, which is known to be located around the Baths of Agamemnon near Balçova, is considered within the city's land. It is understood that its border with Erythrai in the west is around Hypokremnos (İçmeler), possibly Gülbahçe Village forms the western border of Klazomenai, and in the south the city land extends to the Sığacık Gulf. The first scientific excavation in Klazomenai was carried out in 1921 and 1922 by the Greek archaeologist G. P. OIKONOMOS. Following the work carried out by the Ministry of Culture in 1979 and 1980, the excavations headed by Güven BAKIR started in 1981, and after the retirement of our teacher, from the year of 2007 onwards, excavation directorate of Klazomenai has been undertaken by Prof. Dr. Yaşar E. ERSOY. Klazomenai, located in Limantepe, which had been inhabited since 4000 BC, was established in the Iron Age. The Klazomenians, who lived in apsidal and rectangular planned houses in the Geometric Period (900-650 BC), surrounded their city with a city wall in the 7th century BC. The archaic settlement was interrupted by the Persian occupation around 546 BC, but with the moderate rule of the Persians, there is a return to the old city areas around 525 – 520 BC. The spread of olive oil production workshops and settlement shows the rising prosperity in the last quarter of the 6th century BC. After the Ionian Revolt that broke out in 499 BC, from the beginning of the 5th century BC, Klazomenai maintained its life as an island city on the Island of Karantina. Later, clash of ideas and interests caused a double settlement in the city. In the first half of the 4th century BC, a group of people who were not sympathizers of Athens established a new city with a grid plan called Kyhton in Limantepe. This settlement on the mainland was abandoned around 350 BC. After this date, The Klazomenians, used the mainland for agricultural purposes and maintained their lives on the Island of Karantina.