The portraits from smyrna agora

zmir, one of the oldest ancient cities in Anatolia has welcomed many civilisations which forms the urban identity of the city. The structure, bearing the characteristics of a State Agora blonging to the Hellenistic-Roman Period is located in the quarter known as Mezarlıkbası/ kiçesmelik. While other earlier ruins belonging to the ancient city have not been unearthead up to now, The Agora, survived possibly due to an Otoman cemetery placed on it until 1932. ?Portrait? in the depiction of a person by defining the distinct characteristics that differ from other persons in the society. Both the physical differentiations of the person and the role of that person in the society are influential in the course of the production of the portrait, orginally having been influenced by religious beliefs and by rituals. The individual features are sometimes reflected on the Egyptian sculpture while there seems to be no example that could be interpreted as a portrait until the Late Classical Period in the Greek art. The art of portrait during the Hellenistic Period has flourished and has become widespread through their usage as a source of propaganda by the Emperor in the Roman Period. 20 Roman portrasts having been discovered from excavation at Smyrna Agora, which first started to be excavated in 1932 and continues intermittently up to recent times are studied in this dissertation. The relevant portraits cousit of 11 male, 7 female and 2 unfinished examples dating between the Claudians and the Mid. 4 th century A.D.. These portraits are examples of Roman aristocrats and reflect the Roman offical ideology.