Ancient stone quarry found in İzmir

A stone quarry used in the Hellenistic and Roman periods has been unearthed during a four-year surface survey in İzmir.

Block stones and columns were transported from the ancient quarry, called Tırazlı-Kesikkaya, to Smyrna, according to Associate Professor Akın Ersoy, the head of the excavations at the ancient city of Smyrna. The roughly processed stone blocks were launched by sleds using stream beds and transported by sea to the Ancient Smyrna Port, said Ersoy.

Stating that it is very difficult and costly to extract stone material from the quarry and transport it to the construction site, Ersoy said, "In ancient times, stone blocks that were delivered to the port were stored in a suitable area and then carried to the construction site by oxen. For example, these blocks would be delivered to Smyrna Agora and after their neat work was done, they would be used in the designated place for the building construction."

The stone quarries were important for the monumental buildings of antiquity, according to Ersoy.

"The ceramics, blocks, and columns show that especially in the Roman period, this quarry was used more actively to meet the needs of the magnificent monumental structures increased in number in parallel to the enrichment of Smyrna," he added.

Stating that a single quarry could not meet the stone needs of the buildings in a large city, Ersoy said, "Definitely there were other quarries. However, it is understood that many limestone columns found in the Smyrna Agora came from this quarry."

In ancient times, some important criteria would be taken into consideration in the location of the cities, he said.

"For example, analyses were made about where and how the clay, sand and timber needs for the construction of the...