An expedition under Gyges was defeated and driven back, but a later one under Alyattes, then king of Lydia, was successful. Smyrna was devastated and ceased to exist for three centuries. A pathetic end to a history of two and one-half millennia.

In the 4th century, Alexander the Great, in response to a dream, ordered Lysimachus, one of his four generals, to build a strong, well-planned city, the most beautiful in Ionia, which became known as “the Flower of Ionia.” It prospered into one of the greatest of the then-known world. Smyrna came under control of the Romans in 27 B.C., having proved a faithful ally to Rome in the Syrian and Mithridatic wars. From 27 B.C. to 324 A.D. she enjoyed great material prosperity. Strabo described it as the most beautiful city in the world. It was about 42 miles north of Ephesus and possessed an excellent double harbor. The outer harbor was a deep water mooring ground; the inner (now silted in) had a narrow entrance that could be blocked with a chain.

The city suffered many vicissitudes. In the reign of Tiberius, it was almost blotted out by an earthquake. Between 178 and 180 A.D. it suffered a succession of seismic disturbances which again reduced the vulnerable city to ruins. Marcus Aurelius once more restored it (and parts of the new agora are still standing). In 378 another earthquake demolished the city, but the intrepid Smyrneans again rebuilt. Even today, bustling Izmir has been termed the “Paris of the Levant.”

Pagan Worship

Smyrna was richly embellished with temples and splendid buildings, and the perfection and symmetry of those encircling Mount Pagos resulted in the title “the crown of Smyrna.”

At the foot of the mountain stood the temple of Zeus, the father of the gods, reputed to be the lord of the sky, rain, clouds, and thunder. Along the Golden Street stood the shrines of Apollo the sun-god, Aphrodite the goddess of love and beauty, Aesculapius the god of medicine, and finally, close to the sea, Cybele, a Phrygian nature goddess. At the Agora (the commercial and political center) were statues of Poseidon the sea-god, and Demeter the goddess of corn.

The priests of the various deities were termed stephanophori, in reference to the laurel or golden crowns which they used to wear in public processions. They were awarded this honor at the end of their year of office. (The term stephanos is alluded to in Rev 2:10.)

The tutelary goddess of Smyrna was Cybele (later, the Greek Rhea, the daughter of the sky and the earth and the mother of Zeus, Poseidon and Hades). Her worship was wild and unrestrained. As the giver of wealth, she became recognized in the great cities as the goddess of the settled life and of towns, hence her crown of walled cities. She appears on Smyrnead coins depicted as enthroned and wearing a crown of battle- ments and towers. [Goddess of fortresses, (“god of forces”) Daniel 11:38?]

In addition to the usual deities, Smyrna readily accepted Caesar worship. In 196 B.C. the Smyrneans erected a temple to Dea Roma, the goddess of Rome, and they subsequently built one to Tiberius. The worship of the emperor was compulsory. Each year a Roman citizen had to burn a pinch of incense on the altar and to acknowledge publicly that Caesar was supreme lord. In return, he received a formal certificate that he had done so. Originally the action was intended simply as proof of political loyalty, since the individual was permitted to worship whatever god or goddess he chose once he had offered to Caesar. This was a means of unifying and integrating the many and varied elements in the vast empire of Rome. However, this act of worship presented a vital test for the Christian, and many who refused perished at the stake or by wild beasts in the arena.

In 169 (155?) A.D., the bishop of Smyrna, Polycarp, refused to recant. “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me wrong. How can I now speak evil of my King who has saved me?” The old man was burned at the stake on the sabbath day, an object of Jewish hatred as well as from the Roman persecution.