Akın ERSOY | Ayşegül ALTINÖRS ÇIRAK | Emine DUYGU KAHRAMAN
(Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Turkey)
Keywords: Street Pattern, Archaeology, Turkey
Abstract:
Historic city center of Izmir has been inhabited continuously since the 3rd century BC. The city center is located on the same area during the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Beyliks and Ottoman periods, over 2000 years, and after the Republican period this area continued to maintain its central character. Today, archaeological excavations are being conducted in the public and monumental buildings of ancient era including Smyrna Agora and its surroundings, Kadifekale (Acropolis of Smyrna) and Smyrna theatre by Ancient Smyrna Town Excavation Presidency. Surface surveys and excavations in the region represent the traces of the grid plan that the city had in the Roman period. It is envisaged by researchers that Ancient period grid street pattern was protected in general terms and sustained in the following historical periods since the antiquity. In the context of this forecast this work aims to investigate the possibility of being continuous of grid street pattern in the historical city center of Izmir that is seen today since antiquity. Similarity with antiquity of the existing grid street and city plan will be revealed from the archaeological and historical maps by using digital technologies such as ARCGIS and CAD programs. Existing street widths and urban blocks sizes will be compared with the estimated Antique period form and sizes determined in archaeological studies. This study was planned to make analysis and synthesis to discuss the continuity of the street pattern in the city centre in Izmir since the antiquity in the context of street widths, urban blocks sizes and land use.