Old Izmir lived its most brilliant period between the years 650-545 BC., in fact this one hundred year’s period covers the highest level of the whole Ionian civilization. In the mentioned period, many colonies were found under the leadership of Miletus in Egypt, on the western coasts of Syria and Lebanon, in Propontis (the Marmara region) and in Pontus (the Black Sea region) the East Greek world competed with the mainland Greece in many fields and began to supersede mainland’s prime position. In this period, Old Izmir did not settle for agriculture and took an active role in the Mediterranean trade. Phoenician goods, Cypriot statues and statuettes, Mesopotamian and Mediterranean faience figurines may be cited as evidence of the international trade. Another important indicator of this golden period in Old Izmir was the spread of literacy among the citizens. Most of the offerings dedicated to the goddess Athena had dedication inscriptions in these prime days. Some habitants of Smyrna, though not high in number, were literate. E. Akurgal, Eski Çağ’da Ege ve İzmir ((The Aegean and Izmir in Ancient Times) p.46. 
IntroThe mound on which Old Smyrna was first settled was a small peninsula in ancient times. The peninsula was linked to the mainland in the north. 
The MoundThe Bayraklı Höyük (settlement mound) which was settled since the 3rd millenium BC is a small hill located on a plain in the most inner part in the east of the Gulf of Izmir.
ExcavationsThe Bayraklı Mound and its surrounding have been a place of interest for the travelers and archaeologists since the 19th century.
City StateThe concept of "city" (polis) reached at its zenith in the Archaic period (650-546). These years were also the peak years for architecture and trade.
The Chronological StratigraphyThe city of Smyrna consists of ten settlement layers in four phases betweem 1050- 333 BC. 
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