Myrina Harbour – Dredged Basin at Aliağa
Myrina/Sebastopolis harbour · Aliağa dredged harbour
Archaic to Roman (c. 700 BCE – 300 CE)·Aeolian Greek / Pergamene·🇹🇷 Izmir, Aliağa, Turkey
User: Erkmen Senan, http://wowturkey.com , en:Cretanforever · CC BY-SA 3.0
About
About Myrina Harbour – Dredged Basin at Aliağa
Myrina at Aliağa, Aeolian dredged harbour on the Güzelhisar river, preserves rock-cut dredged basin 200×120 m now brackish lagoon 0 m and submerged outer mole 80 m at –1 m in Aliağa Bay. Akurgal and Pappalardo diving mapped ashlar dredged basin walls at 0 m with 5th c. BCE sherds, and outer bay mole with Roman pozzolana patch at –1 m. Basin was dredged in 4th c. BCE to maintain depth against Güzelhisar silt; harbour mud shows dredging layers with timber stakes. Outer anchorage off Myrina headland has amphora piles at –6 m. Harbour abandonment after Pergamene shift to Elaia.
Why it mattersOnly Aeolian dredged harbour; dredging layers anchor Güzelhisar silt and harbour maintenance tech.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Whether dredging was annual ritual
Theories
- 01Pergamene engineering shifted maintenance to Elaia, causing Myrina decline
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 700 BCE; dredged basin 4th c. BCE
- Period
- Archaic to Roman (c. 700 BCE – 300 CE)
- Culture
- Aeolian Greek / Pergamene
- Purpose
- River harbour for Aeolian grain – dredged channel to sea
- Abandoned
- c. 300 CE (Aliağa Bay siltation)
- Rediscovered
- 1947 Akurgal; 2012 Pappalardo mole diving
- Excavation
- Buried
4th c. BCE
Dredged basin cut through alluvium
2012
Pappalardo maps outer mole at –1 m
On the ground
Structures & features
38.8453° N · 26.9844° E · 0 m · 3 mapped features
Dredged Harbour Basin
harbour200×120 m dredged basin at 0 m – timber revetted at Myrina Harbour – Dredged Basin at Aliağa
38.8460° N · 26.9850° EOuter Bay Mole
mole80 m outer mole at –1 m in Aliağa Bay at Myrina Harbour – Dredged Basin at Aliağa
38.8440° N · 26.9860° EAmphora Anchorage
anchorageBay anchorage at –6 m – amphora piles off headland at Myrina Harbour – Dredged Basin at Aliağa
38.8430° N · 26.9870° E
Gallery