Two to Travel: İzmir Archaeology Museum

Tuesday — April 20: Part III

One of my favorite haunts in İzmir is the “Tarih ve Sanat Müzesi” (Museum of History and Art). Although my MüzeKart gave me free entry to the museum, this time I decided to check out somewhere new to me. Hence, my next stop of the day was at the İzmir Museum of Archaeology, just a few steps from the Ethnography Museum. (Click here for photographs from my 2008 visit to the Museum of History and Art.)

Left: Statue of a Barbarian (Roman Period, 2nd Century AD).
Right: Sarcophagus (Roman Period, 2nd Century AD).

Detail from a 2nd Century AD sarcophagus from the Roman Period.

There’s a reason why “Anadolu” (Anatolian Peninsula) is known as the cradle of civilization. The İzmir area alone has a rich history of cultures dating back 8,500 years. From the Hittites to the Ionians; from the Lydians to the Persians; from the Greeks to the Romans; from the Byzantines to the Ottomans — countless civilizations have left traces of their presence here. Traces that have been, and are continuing to be unearthed, adding to the treasure trove of archaeological finds on display not just at the dig sites, but also in museums across the country. (You can find a timeline of the cultures that passed through the peninsula here.)

This map in the lobby of the museum shows the many civilizations that made their
home on the Anatolian Peninsula at one time or another.

The İzmir Museum of Archaeology was first established in 1924 on the site of the abandoned Orthodox Church of Ayavukla in Basmane. (I understand the church is being restored; someplace new for me to visit next time I find myself in İzmir — in the meantime, here are some photos I came across on the web.) In 1951, the museum was relocated to a building on the grounds of “Kültür Park” (green space in the center of the city and the site of the annual international fair). When that site proved too small for the ever-growing collection of artifacts, the museum was moved to its current location in 1984. In addition to exhibits, the new building houses a lab for the restoration of artifacts as well as a library.

Enough words; here are images of some of the artifacts that have found a home at the museum.

Roman Period mosaic featuring Eros.

Pottery and figurines from the 1st Century AD.

Oil Lamp (4th Century BC) — example of the red and black pottery of Attica.

Left: Lebes Gamikos (wedding cup, 580 BC) — believed to be the work of Sophilos,
the first Attican pottery artist to use the black technique.
Right: Lagynos (vase, Hellenistic Period).

Detail from an Oinochoe (a wine jug and a key form of Greek pottery, 620-610 BC).

Amphoras from 6th Century BC.

Sarcophagi from Clazomenae, one of the 12 Ionian cities established on the
West Anatolian coast and its nearby islands (10th to 5th Century BC).

Detail from a sarcophagus from Clazomenae.

Dionysus visiting Ikarios, the Athenian actor (Roman Period, Ephesus).

Left: Statue of Two Girls (Hellenistic Period, 2nd Century AD).
Right: Torso from the statue of an emperor (Roman Period, 2nd Century AD)

Left: Statue of Asclepius, Greek god of medicine and healing (2nd Century AD).
Right: Statue of a Priest (30 BC-395 AD).

Antinous as Androclos, the founder of Ephesus (Roman Period, 138-161 AD).

Left: Bronze statue of Demeter, goddess of the harvest (Hellenistic Period, 4th Century BC).
Right: Bronze statue of a runner, possibly an Olympian (Late Hellenistic Period, 50-30 BC).

Perfume bottles from the 6th to 3rd centuries BC.

Gold jewelry from 1st Century BC.

On my way out, a wrong turn took me to the grounds behind the museum building. Here, I found quite a few artifacts displayed in the open, each with a cover above to protect it from the elements. Only a few of these items had any information to identify their origin.