The Agora The term 'Agora' refers to a city square, bazaar or market place. Agoras served commercial, political, and religious functions, as well as acted as the focal point of the city for art and social events. In some large ancient cities, there were usually two agoras: one serving as the state agora surrounded by public buildings, and the other for commercial activities. The Agora of Smyrna was established on the northern slope of Pagos (Kadifekale) Hill in the 4th century BC. It is a rectangular building with a large courtyard in the centre, surrounded by colonnaded galleries. This structure served as the state agora of the city and was surrounded by important public buildings of the period. The agora was founded during the Hellenistic Period. Most of the agora's remains that have survived to the present day were built in the Roman Period with the support of Emperor Marcus Aurelius after an earthquake in 178 AD. The Basilica Basilicas have a plan with wide and high central corridors and narrow, low parallel corridors on the sides. Roman basilicas were pioneers in terms of plan features for Christian churches. They were originally used as courthouses for the legal affairs of the city, but were also popular for the activities of merchants and bankers who shaped the commercial life of the city. The basilica is situated on the north wing of the agora and has a rectangular plan measuring 165 x 28 metres. It is the largest known Roman basilica. The cross vaults located at the east and west ends of the basement are among the most beautiful examples of Roman Period architecture. There are two monumental doors on the north façade of the basilica, with the one on the west side being completely exposed today. The vaulted shops on the north façade of the basilica suggest that during the Roman Period's final stages, the state agora started to have a commercial function. The Graffiti Graffiti from the Roman period were found on the plastered basement walls and arch piers. Some of the graffiti were drawn using a mixture of iron and oak root ink, while others were made using the scraping method. The graffiti cover a wide range of subjects, including love games, gladiatorial battles, sexuality, sailboat paintings, names of lovers, birds, ships, and riddles. During the Roman Period, the cities of Pergamon, Ephesos, and Smyrna in Western Anatolia were known for their rivalry, as evidenced by the city slogans found in graffiti. While official and religious written sources are common, the Greek graffiti found in the Smyrna Agora provide insight into the daily lives of the people and are the most extensive collection of their kind in the world. The graffiti found in the basilica also provide significant insights into the early days of Christianity. These features make these graffiti a distinctive addition to the world's archaeological literature. The Western Stoa The western stoa comprises galleries separated by three rows of colonnades and, like the basilica, is built on a basement floor. Today, only the arched basement floors remain. In antiquity, the ground floor and second floor, which had a wooden floor, were used for strolling, providing protection from the rain and sun. Towards the end of the Roman Period, some walls of the basement galleries were closed and cisterns were built. The columns on the first floor of the western stoa facing the courtyard were restored and erected in the 1940s. The Faustina Gate and Ancient Street One of the east-west avenues in the grid-planned city of Smyrna passes through the agora. The agora is divided into two equal parts by a magnificent gate located where the street intersects. On the northern arch of the gate, there is a portrait relief of Faustina, the wife of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The second eye of the gate, which is believed to have contained a portrait of Marcus Aurelius, has not survived to the present day. Since Marcus Aurelius and his wife Faustina had the agora rebuilt after it was destroyed by an earthquake in 178 AD, Smyrnians paid their debt of loyalty with this gate. The arched gate was repaired with incorrect measurements in the 1940s, but it was restored in 2004 to its original specifications.
SYMRNA AGORA ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
