Making the archaeological map of Smyrna using geographic information system based on ancient sources and ruins

Refounded on the slopes of Mt. Pagos in the Hellenistic period, Smyrna became one of the most brilliant cities of the Province of Asia in the Roman period. Thanks to its location and its port the city has been continuously occupied from the Hellenistic period until the present day. Unlike its contemporaries, which were eventually abandoned, the city has thus changed and developed according to the needs of the day. In the course of time the buildings of ancient Smyrna lost their functions and were covered by later structures. Some of them disappeared completely, while archaeological traces that have managed to survive until our own day have lost their completeness. Many ancient writers and, between the 17th and the 20th centuries, European travelers, missionaries and bureaucrats who came to the city made important observations concerning ancient Smyrna. Beginning after the founding of the Republic and continuing to the present day, the excavations in the Agora of Smyrna, as well as test digging carried out by the museum in the modern city, have added further information about ancient Smyrna.Today, identifying and locating ancient buildings necessitates an arduous effort. With the help of the sources mentioned above and the Geographical Data System, an effort has been made to plot the surviving archaeological data on a map of the city that also makes it possible to follow the topographical characteristics of Smyrna which rivaled cities such as Ephesos and Pergamon in ancient times. Concerning structures which no longer exist, various sources have been researched and, in accordance with the information thus obtained, suggestions have been made concerning their possible locations.As such, an effort has been made to construct a foundation for future studies concerning the city?s boundaries, its elements and its social life. The study, besides bringing about a better understanding of the structural identity of the ancient city, aims to contribute towards the development of the modern city in harmony with its archaeological elements.Key Words: Smyrna, Map, GIS, Hellenistic, Roman.