Agora of Smyrna and the Basilica Graffiti
The civic centre of a church of Revelation, with the world's largest set of ancient Greek wall graffiti
Found 1932 — Turkish–German excavations of Rudolf Naumann and Selahattin Kantar (1932–1941); basement graffiti conserved and studied 2003–2014 under Akın Ersoy with Roger Bagnall (ISAW, New York)
Where Smyrna Agora (Kemeraltı, İzmir) (Turkey)
Dates from Agora rebuilt after the earthquake of 177/178 CE; graffiti c. 2nd–4th century CE · Roman Imperial · Message to Smyrna (Revelation 2); age of Polycarp
Now at In situ; Smyrna Agora open-air museum, İzmir
How Agora of Smyrna and the Basilica Graffiti was found
The agora was cleared in the 1930s. Renewed excavation from 2007 under Akın Ersoy opened the vaulted basement of the basilica on the north side, where plaster walls proved to be covered with hundreds of scratched and painted texts and pictures.
What it is
A large rectangular Roman market square with a two-storey stoa on the west and a three-aisled basilica (about 165 by 28 m) on the north, standing on vaulted galleries. The basement plaster holds more than 400 Greek graffiti and dipinti: ship drawings, gladiators, riddles, prayers, and number-puzzles (isopsephy).
Why it matters for the Bible
Revelation 2:8–11 addresses the assembly in Smyrna, the poor but 'rich' church facing prison and death; Polycarp was martyred here about 155 CE. The agora is the public face of that city. Among the graffiti one line reads 'Lord, faith' (kyrios, pistis) beside an isopsephic sum; some scholars call it the earliest Christian graffito known, others read it as ordinary Greek religion. Either way, the basement lets us hear the everyday voices of the city John wrote to.
The Hebrew word: MOHR
מֹר
מֹר is pronounced MOHR and means myrrh — the bitter resin behind the city's Greek name and a fitting emblem for a suffering church (Strong's H4753).
People this discovery connects to
- John — יוֹחָנָן (yo-chah-NAHN) — YHVH is gracious (Greek Ioannes)
Places
- Smyrna — סְמִירְנָה (smeer-NAH) — Greek Smyrna, linked to the word for myrrh
Events
Message to the assembly at Smyrna · Martyrdom of Polycarp (c. 155 CE)
Agora of Smyrna and the Basilica Graffiti in Scripture
Revelation 1:11 Smyrna named among the seven assemblies.
Revelation 2:8-9 The letter to Smyrna; the agora and basilica are the heart of the city addressed.
Questions people ask
What is Agora of Smyrna and the Basilica Graffiti?
A large rectangular Roman market square with a two-storey stoa on the west and a three-aisled basilica (about 165 by 28 m) on the north, standing on vaulted galleries. The basement plaster holds more than 400 Greek graffiti and dipinti: ship drawings, gladiators, riddles, prayers, and number-puzzles (isopsephy).
When was Agora of Smyrna and the Basilica Graffiti discovered?
It was found in 1932 by Turkish–German excavations of Rudolf Naumann and Selahattin Kantar (1932–1941); basement graffiti conserved and studied 2003–2014 under Akın Ersoy with Roger Bagnall (ISAW, New York), at Smyrna Agora (Kemeraltı, İzmir).
Where is Agora of Smyrna and the Basilica Graffiti today?
In situ; Smyrna Agora open-air museum, İzmir.
Which Bible verses does Agora of Smyrna and the Basilica Graffiti relate to?
Revelation 1:11, Revelation 2:8-9.
Is Agora of Smyrna and the Basilica Graffiti authentic?
The agora and its graffiti are securely dated and published (Bagnall et al. 2016). Whether any individual graffito is Christian, and whether the 'Lord, faith' text predates the 177/178 earthquake, is disputed; Bagnall dates the plaster layers later than first reports suggested.
Related discoveries
- פּוֹשֵׁרLaodicea: Lukewarm Water and the Early ChurchCalcified pipes, the Hierapolis hot springs, and a 4th-century church in the city that was 'neither hot nor cold'
- אֱלִילִיםRed Basilica (Temple of the Egyptian Gods), PergamonHadrian's giant brick temple to Serapis and Isis, later a church of St John
- סְפָרַדSardis SynagogueThe largest ancient synagogue ever found, in the heart of a city of Revelation
- כִּסֵּא הַשָּׂטָןGreat Altar of Pergamon ('Satan's Throne')The monumental Zeus altar many link to Revelation's 'where Satan's throne is'
- קְהִלָּהCuretes Street and the Library of Celsus, EphesusThe marble city Paul walked — with a landmark built a generation after him
- אַרְגָּמָןThyatira Dyers' Guild InscriptionsStones naming the purple-dyers of Lydia's home city
Sources
- Bagnall, Casagrande-Kim, Ersoy, Tanrıver, Graffiti from the Basilica in the Agora of Smyrna (NYU/ISAW, 2016)
- Bryn Mawr Classical Review of the graffiti volume (2017)
- Smyrna Agora museum: Basilica wall inscriptions
- Hürriyet Daily News on the Ersoy excavations
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