PITANE Çandarlı İzmir | Ancient Cities #46

Pitane of Ancient Times, today's Çandarlı, is located on the coast of the gulf called Çandarlı, at the point where the Ankara - İzmir fault line enters the Aegean Sea, on a peninsula extending in the form of a tongue towards the south. Modern Çandarlı is located right above the ancient city of Pitane. The Kaikos/Bakırçay river forms a natural border between Bergama and Çandarlı. Since the isthmus connecting Çandarlı to the mainland was sometimes submerged under water in the past, this place turned into an island. This part of the settlement is probably popular among the people for this reason; It is still called the island. Bakırçay continues to fill Çandarlı Bay with the alluviums it has carried for centuries.
The delta of the river still continues its historical mission by advancing into the Aegean Sea between Elaia, which is called Kazıkbağları and functions as the port of the Ancient City of Pergamon, and Pitane, on the other.
Pitane's literal meaning means plenty of water. There is no exact information about when the ancient city located in the Dikili Çandarlı region was founded. The only concrete information about the city, which is thought to have been founded by the Luwians, is that the history of the city dates back to the pre-Hellenic period.
The name of the ancient city is not mentioned in ancient sources, but its name was first mentioned in the 8th century BC. The history of Çandarlı, which was called Pitane in ancient times, dates back to the pre-Hellenic period. It is thought that the founders of this city were female warriors known as Amazons, as in most Aegean Ancient Cities. According to Greek mythology, Pitane is the daughter of Euratos, the river god. During ancient times, the tradition of giving the names of mythological characters to settlements was common in the Western and Northern Aegean.
As mentioned by Homer, it went down in history as one of the 12 Aeolian cities located in the north of the Aiolis cities. Studies have proven that the ancient city was founded before the Aeolian migration. Essentially, it is thought that the ancient city experienced its best times during the Roman period.
Elaia; It is an ancient Aioli settlement located in the port of Pergamon. The word literally means olive grove. Except for the breakwater of the harbour, there are no visible ruins above ground. It is possible to reach the ruins of this breakwater when you proceed towards the sea from the dirt village road opposite the Sındırgılılar Petrol station on the Bergama road. It is known that the marbles unloaded by marble ships docking at this port during the Roman period were taken to Pergamum by caravans and the Temple of Trajan was built from these marbles. In ancient times, the 12-meter-high Zeus Altar and the Temple of Trajan, erected on the Pergamon Acropolis, could be seen from Çandarlı. Especially on moonlit nights, the light of the moon reflected from the white marbles helped ships approaching Çandarlı find their way.
In fact, in the past, neither the sea nor the river in Çandarlı were considered safe. Sailors were afraid to sail off Pitane. The majestic waves of these waters open to the winds terrified the captains of the old wooden ships. The violence of the river has become the subject of legends.
According to legend; Poseidon, the god of seas and oceans, gave Bakırçay to his son Astros as his sanctuary. But the Astros used the tea to torment the locals. In addition to the disasters brought by the flood, every year one person drowns in the Astros' stream. After that, no one ever approached this water again or mentioned its name. So they relaxed for a while. But fate has woven its webs insidiously. Once upon a time, a noble and brave young man named Kaikos lived in Çandarlı. One day, this brave man went deer hunting with his friend Pindasos. They followed a trail in the forest and chased a deer. Stretching his bow, Kaikos shot his arrow at the deer, which made the animal jump. The arrow found its friend behind the animal. Kaikos untied her hair and cried bitterly. He went to the edge of the river and threw himself into Bakırçay. The body dragged by the wild waters finally got stuck on the roots of a tree. The Pitane people, who found the body days later, cursed this crazy stream. They named the tea after Kaikos so that his memory would live on.
During the excavations carried out here, archaic male statues as well as chalices, vases, tombs, and urns were unearthed. The Ionic style statue, found by locals in the peninsula isthmus region in 1958, appears as a male figure with a height of 1.63. The male statue, which is a work of art from the Archaic period, is dated to the 6th century BC. If you would like to see this statue, it continues to be exhibited in the Bergama Museum today. Rich collections of other ruins related to this place are also exhibited in the Izmir Archeology Museum and Istanbul Archeology Museum.
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