SOURCE: John Boardman and N. G. L. Hammond, eds. The Cambridge Ancient History, 3,3: The Expansion of the Greek World, 8th to 6th Centuries B.C. (2nd ed.: New York: Cambridge University, 1982), 202. Illustration by R. V. Nicholls. Satellite view of original Smyrna The original site of Smyrna was at the end of the gulf in a section of Izmir now known as Bayrakli. It featured a temple dedicated to Athena and was one of the first Greek cities with streets laid out in a north-south, east-west grid pattern. As the sketch depicts, a considerable portion of the population lived outside the city walls. See satellite view of original Smyrna. This early city resisted the Lydian conquerors and suffered a complete destruction around 600 BCE. For more on the ancient city, go to the other views. Want to go deeper?The following are recommended to help you look deeper into the history and archaeology of the original Smyrna. Cecil John Cadoux. Ancient Smyrna: A History of the City from the Earliest Times to 324 A.D. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1938. – Cadoux was born in Smyrna and then went on to become a professor at Oxford. Despite its age, this is one of the most detailed treatments of Smyrna available, though it is currently both out of print and unavailable through Amazon. You may be able to find it at a large library or seminary library. Recommended for purchase: George Bean – Aegean Turkey: An Archaeological Guide (John Murray, 1989). J. M. Cook – Old Smyrna Excavations: The Temples of Athena (David Brown, 1998). Ekrem Akurgal – Ancient Civilizations and Ruins of Turkey: From Prehistoric Times Until the End of the Roman Empire (Haset Kirabevi, 1985). | cheaper, earlier edition – Akurgal was the archaeologist in charge of the excavation of the original Smyrna at Bayrakli. Online resources: Christine Eslik, PhD – Recent and current excavations Old Izmir and the Temple of Athena William M. Ramsay – "Smyrna: City of Life" | "The Letter to the Church in Smyrna" 251-267 and 268-280, respectively, from Letters to the Seven Churches & Their Place in the Plan of the Apocalypse, 2nd ed. (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1906). About DS Contact DS © 2008 DeeperStudy.com | Steve Singleton, All Rights Reserved | Smyrna Izmir Satellite Image |