Yeşilova Mound

Description

The mound that initiated İzmir's 8500-year settlement history, containing the oldest settlement traces dating back to the Neolithic period (New Stone Age).

Story

Yeşilova Mound, located within the borders of Bornova district of İzmir, is a key archaeological site representing the starting point of the city's history, extending back to 6500 BC, meaning the beginning of **8500 years of uninterrupted settlement**. While it was assumed that İzmir's history began with Ancient Smyrna (3rd millennium BC), excavations at Yeşilova Mound proved that the region adopted a sedentary lifestyle based on agriculture and animal husbandry much earlier, even in the Neolithic (New Stone Age) era. This discovery solidified İzmir's status as one of the oldest settlements in the Aegean. The mound has revealed house remains, stone tools, ceramic fragments, and traces of daily life from the Neolithic period. Excavations show that the inhabitants of Yeşilova used simple agricultural techniques and established early settlements in the fertile lands of the region. Yeşilova is the most fundamental starting point for İzmir's 'ancient city' identity and the cycle of civilization in the Aegean. Today, the mound area features a **Visitor Center** and **Archaeological Site** that revive these early settlements. Visitors can observe the lifestyle of İzmir's first inhabitants, the tools they used, and their architectural structures. Yeşilova Mound is İzmir's 'zero point' chronologically, a must-visit site that rewrote the city's history textbooks and showed that its cultural identity is not solely limited to Ionia.

Visit Tips

• It is easily accessible in Bornova.
• Examine the reenactments and exhibitions at the Visitor Center located in the Mound.
• Read the information panels describing İzmir's 8500-year history.
• Museum Pass is valid.

Photos