Myrina (Aeolis)

Myrina was an ancient Aeolian city in Mysia. She was about 5 km north of the present-day Aliağa on the west coast of Turkey.

It was located about 37 kilometers southwest of Pergamon. Myrina was one of the twelve Aeolian cities, which have only been conquered by Croesus, and then incorporated into the Persian Empire under Cyrus II. In the 5th century BC Myrina belonged to the Delian Confederacy. In the Hellenistic period characteristic terracotta statuettes were made in Myrina, which were found in the necropolis of the city. The neighboring town Gryneion with a known sanctuary of Apollo was associated with Hellenism in Myrina. Myrina was destroyed 17 and 106 AD by an earthquake and rebuilt. In the 1st century it was temporarily the name Sebastopolis ( " Augustus City ").

The city lay on and around two hills at the mouth of a small river. On the Acropolis Hill remains of a Byzantine city wall can be seen. There are also remains of a quay. Excavations have uncovered thousands of tombs from the Hellenistic period. Finds from Myrina, mainly terracottas are exhibited in the Bergama Archeological Museum, a large part of the finds of the 19th century is located in the Louvre in Paris.

Myrina from the Byzantine writer Agathias came.