The Smyrna / İzmir Theater in Light of Recent Archaeological Data
Akın Ersoy1
, Sarp Alatepeli2, Ozan Çakmak3
1İzmir Kâtip Çelebi Üniversitesi, Sosyal ve Beşeri Bilimler Fakültesi, Türk-İslam Arkeolojisi Bölümü, İzmir/TÜRKİYE 
https://ror.org/024nx4843
2İzmir Kâtip Çelebi Üniversitesi, Sosyal ve Beşeri Bilimler Fakültesi, Türk-İslam Arkeolojisi Bölümü, İzmir/TÜRKİYE https://ror.org/024nx4843
3İzmir Kâtip Çelebi Üniversitesi, Sosyal ve Beşeri Bilimler Fakültesi, Türk-İslam Arkeolojisi Bölümü, İzmir/TÜRKİYE https://ror.org/024nx4843
Keywords: Smyrna, Theater, Cavea, Scene, Roman Period.
Abstract
The earliest information regarding the Smyrna Theater, located on the slope between Kadifekale and Kemeraltı within the borders of modern-day İzmir, is derived from the notes of travelers and researchers who reported their observations about the building from the 17th century onwards. It is known that settlement in the theater area began in the 19th century and continued throughout the 20th century with the construction of modern residences. Following the conclusion of extensive expropriation efforts by 2014, these modern houses were cleared. Since then, the Smyrna Theater has been one of the primary sectors where excavations are conducted by the Directorate of the Smyrna Ancient City Excavations, alongside the Smyrna Agora. Thanks to the acceleration of excavations in recent years, the theater, a monumental structure holding a significant place in the city’s collective memory, is being revealed. Investigations focused on the skene and cavea have not only yielded results concerning the architectural design and stylistic features of the building but also provided valuable data on the social life of the period through sculptures, coins, ceramics, and epigraphic findings. As part of the recent efforts, supported by the Turkish Historical Society, excavations were conducted in the southern section of the theater. These works focused on the grid squares overlapping the diazoma that separates the ima and media cavea, aiming to remove the fill deposits and uncover the cultural layers in the lower strata.
It is declared that scientific and ethical principles were complied with during the preparation of this study and all the works referred are mentioned in the bibliography.
Complaints
hoyuk@ttk.gov.tr
This article has been reviewed by at least two reviewers using a double blind peer review model. A similarity check was performed to confirm that it was free of plagiarism.
Use of Artificial Intelligence
No artificial intelligence-based tools or applications were used in the preparation of this study. The entire content of the manuscript was produced by the authors in accordance with scientific research methods and academic ethical principles.
Çalışmanın Tasarlanması/Planning of the Study : Yazar / Author-1(%40) - Yazar/Author -2(%30) - Yazar/Author-3 (%30)
Veri Toplanması/Collecting Data : Yazar / Author-1(%40) - Yazar/Author -2(%30) - Yazar/Author-3 (%30)
Veri Analizi/Data Analysis : Yazar / Author-1(%40) - Yazar/Author -2(%30) - Yazar/Author-3 (%30)
Makalenin Yazımı/Writing the Article : Yazar / Author-1(%40) - Yazar/Author -2(%30) - Yazar/Author-3 (%30)
Makale Gönderimi ve Revizyonu/Submission of the Article and Revisions : Yazar / Author-1(%40) - Yazar/Author -2(%30) - Yazar/Author-3 (%30)
The Author(s) declare(s) that there is no conflict of interest.
License
This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC).