Artifacts with Egyptian influence in Smyrna

İZMİR

Archaeological excavations carried out in the ancient city of Smyrna in İzmir have unearthed figures and objects with Egyptian civilization influences.

The Smyrna Agora is one of the largest ancient agoras in the center of İzmir, and the Smyrna Theater is one of the largest theaters in the Mediterranean. The ancient city, founded by Alexander the Great on an area of 193 hectares, extends from Kadifekale to Kemeraltı. As part of the heritage area created under the name İzmir Historical Port City, the ancient site was inscribed on the World Heritage Temporary List by UNESCO in 2020.

Archaeological excavations have revealed thousands of objects from various periods. The artifacts provide information about the social and commercial life of the period.

Figures and objects with Egyptian influence were also found during the recent excavations carried out in the ancient city of Smyrna.

"In recent years, we have been intensively carrying out excavations, especially in the Smyrna Theater. During these excavations, we have come across many Egyptian-influenced findings. We know that the relations between Egypt and Anatolia date back to ancient times in political, cultural and commercial terms. Now, we see concrete examples of this relationship in the excavation site,” said Akın Ersoy, a lecturer at İzmir Katip Çelebi University’s Department of Turkish-Islamic Archaeology and the head of the Smyrna Ancient City and Agora Theater excavation committee.

“The fact that these objects are frequently found in the Smyrna Theater shows us that there was perhaps a worship area for Egyptian gods in the area where the theater was located. Of course, we need to prove this architecturally. But these objects possibly point to the temple of the Egyptian gods. We know from the inscriptions that Egyptian influence was in İzmir and, of course, in Anatolia as a whole. Because this cultural rapprochement took place rapidly, especially after Alexander the Great and when the Roman Empire dominated the Egyptian lands,” he added.

Stating that there are five figures, Ersoy said: “One of these examples is a mask. This figure is a cover used in the burning hole of oil lamps. Another object is a female figure in a birthing position but half of it is missing. But we know from other examples that this object is a figure associated with a woman's healthy birth and the health of her child. This is a feature seen mostly in Egypt. Another object is a piece of oil lamp. It has an image of the Temple of Isis on it. The fourth object is a piece of brick. It has the inscription 'Serapis Hiera' on it. Its meaning is 'Sacred area of Serapis.' Therefore, based on all these findings, we can say that there was a sacred area here. The fifth object is the eye of Ra figure. It is also called the 'eye of Horus.' It means that there is only one God. It is also the eye of conscience, and it shows us the Egyptian influence there.”

Ersoy stated that efforts continue for the “İzmir Historical Port City,” consisting of the Historical Kemeraltı Bazaar, Basmane and Kadifekale, surrounding the ancient Smyrna, and the Old Smyrna, Yeşilova and Yassıtepe mounds in Bayraklı, to be included in the main UNESCO World Heritage List.

“We hope that when the preparations are completed, we will apply to UNESCO and eventually it will be included in the main list. Since İzmir is a historical port city, we understand the existence of Egyptian influences. This means that these cultural influences were reflected on the people of İzmir, Anatolian people and other western communities living here through trade routes, especially maritime trade routes.”