From Smyrna to Nationwide: The Rising Impact of Woodfin Funeral Chapel Obituaries - Away State Journal
Smyrna was once one of the most illustrious of all ancient and Hellenistic-era Greek cities. One of the main centers of Greek settlement in western Anatolia, it once had a temple dedicated to Athena and was the residence of the epic poet Homer.
The name Smyrna means "myrrh," which is a resin obtained from the Commiphora myrrha tree. Myrrh was a critical ingredient used to embalm bodies because one of its major properties was its ability to retard the putrefaction of dead flesh.
Smyrna was one of the greatest Ancient Greek cities to have existed in Asia Minor, today's Turkey. Before being Christianised, and long before being Islamified, it once had a temple dedicated to Athena and was the residence of the epic poet Homer.
Explore Smyrna’s history, ancient ruins, and Christian heritage. Visit its Agora, Kadifekale, and St. Polycarp’s Church in modern İzmir.
Smyrna, an ancient city now surrounded by the modern city of Izmir, was originally established around 1000 BC by Aeolian Greek settlers in “Old Smyrna” (Bayraklı Höyüğü) on a small peninsula jutting out from Asia Minor into the Aegean Sea, similar to Old Tyre.
Throughout Antiquity it was the early leading city-state of Greek Ionia, on the Aegean shores and islands of Asia Minor. Smyrna was among the cities that claimed Homer as a resident. Modern Turkish interpretations emphasize Smyrna's earlier connections with the Hittite empire of central Anatolia.
