YENİ VERİLER IŞIĞINDA ESKİ SMYRNA OK UÇLARI TİPOLOJİSİ

Abstract

The archaeological records prove the existence of a continuous settlement in Bayrakli Mound, located northeast of Izmir Bay, from the Bronze Ages until the Hellenistic Period. Migration movements to the Western Anatolian coasts beginning in the 11th century BC revealed the benefits of economic growth in Old Smyrna's socio-cultural structure and the city's identity as a Greek Polis. However, due to the importance of its geopolitical position and the outcomes of political events, the city was vulnerable to invasions from different powers. The military actions in the city which was captured by Lydia and Persia and later sieged by Macedonians (?) can be clearly recognized with archaeological data. Arrowheads are one of the sources of information for this data and are unquestionably the essential reference source among ordnance. Arrowheads, found in many places from the Near East to Anatolia and the Greek Mainland, were not only used in warfare, but they were also popular as a votive item given in the sanctuary and as a funerary offering left in the graves during burial customs.
 In this study, arrowheads unearthed in Old Smyrna throughout the previous and recent excavations were examined in-depth, and classification was developed based on the arrowheads' shape and functional qualities. A total of 133 bronze and iron arrowheads were classified typologically and compared to similar samples acquired from nearby and distant sites. The arrowheads discovered in recent excavations, ongoing since 2014, have been dated together with the context. This study particularly emphasizes the correlation between the destructions associated with the military actions in the city and the arrowheads. Therefore, this study of bronze and iron arrowhead findings in Old Smyrna, one of the most important cities in Western Anatolia, will critically contribute to the literature.