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New excavation work at the ancient city of Smyrna, located in Izmir's historic city center, has revealed three previously unknown spaces from Late Antiquity along with wall paintings that had never been documented at the site before.
According to a statement from the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, new findings were made at the Agora of Smyrna during excavation work conducted on behalf of Izmir Katip Celebi University with permission from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
The excavations identified three new spaces adjacent to the mosaic floor uncovered last year. Two of the spaces were found to have mosaic flooring, while the third featured a marble floor.
The excavation work also uncovered wall paintings around the Agora and the Theater of Smyrna that had not previously been encountered.
Prof. Dr. Akin Ersoy, faculty member of the Turkish-Islamic Archaeology Department at Izmir Katip Celebi University and head of the excavation, whose comments were included in the statement, said the newly uncovered spaces share features similar to the Terrace Houses at the ancient city of Ephesus, adding that the structures may have served a public function.
"This is the first time we have found wall paintings in these spaces," Ersoy said. "Until now, we had never come across anything like this in the Agora of Smyrna or around the theater."
Ersoy noted that the spaces date to the fifth and sixth centuries A.D., or Late Antiquity, explaining that significant changes occurred in the structure of cities following the division of the Roman Empire in 395 and the spread of Christianity. He said the new findings offer insight into this transformation in Smyrna.
The excavation also traced a section of an ancient water channel dating from the Roman period, which is reported to have continued carrying water for approximately 2,000 years.
Ersoy said Smyrna's water needs during the Roman period were met through channels connected to natural springs, noting that the source of the channel, of which about 150 meters have been traced, has not yet been identified.
Ersoy said there may be a spring near the Namazgah Bath and Kursunlu Mosque, located south of the Agora, adding that the water travels a route of approximately 150 meters before reaching the Agora of Smyrna.
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