Myrina (Sebastopolin) Ancient City

Myrina (Sebastopolin) Ancient City

There are ruins in the necropolis, which is located on two hills and unearthed by the villagers. Myrina, an important city in the Aiolis region, is an ancient city that lives intertwined with nature at the last bay of Çandarlı Bay in Western Anatolia. It is on the slope of a small hill when you turn towards the sea after passing the bridge over Güzelhisar (Pythikos) Stream after Aliağa on the İzmir-Çanakkale highway.

The history

Myrina made her name known for the first time in history with a talent payment to the Delos Union. Myrina recognized the sovereignty of the Lydian King Croesus in the years after 560 BC, and was mentioned in the Athens Confederation in 454-425 BC. During the Persian invasion of Anatolia, Xerkes gave this city to Gongylos in 475 BC. Myrina had to accept the sovereignty of Alexander the Great like all Aiol states in 334 BC, and after his death, he joined the Kingdom of Pergamon in 188 BC. The vast majority of the above-ground remains of Myrina have been used in the construction of other nearby cities for centuries and the city has been completely destroyed. That is why, apart from the harbor stones, the architectural parts of the city have not survived much today. Although there are almost no aboveground remains, ceramic pieces and terracotta figurines are widespread in the environment, which attracted the attention of the researchers. Thus, Myrina was known not for its structures but for its terracotta figurines. Pieces of pottery, figurines, architectural friezes and sarcophagus lids spread over the hills where Myrina used to live prove the rich culture of the city.