In cooperation with Yapı Kredi Publications and Tüpraş Ionians: The Sages of the Aegean Shore
The eleventh book of the Anatolian Civilizations, Series, prepared in collaboration with Tüpraş and Yapı Kredi Publications, has been published: Ionians : The Sages of the Aegean Shore.
Anatolian Civilizations Series was launched in 2011 with the cooperation of Tüpraş and Yapı Kredi Publications, and the eleventh book titled Ionians: The Sages of the Aegean Shore was just published.
The Anatolian Civilizations Series is a collective publication project consisting of twelve books in total, offering researchers and readers a comprehensive corpus of Anatolian civilization history. All the books in the series are prepared in two languages, Turkish and English.
Ionians: The Sages of the Aegean Shore focuses on the unique culture created by the Ionians in Western Anatolia and the traces they left.
This book delves into the rich history of the Ionian region, including prehistoric times, and focuses on the golden age that occurred around 2600 years ago. It covers important topics such as culture and art, belief systems, and sanctuaries, as well as the region's diplomatic relationships with its neighbors. The book also includes 28 academic articles written by experts in their respective fields, both local and foreign, that uncover new information and previously unknown aspects of this historical period.
Who Were the Ionians?
The Ionians were the largest group of people living on the Aegean coast of Anatolia in the 1st millennium BC. According to the historian Herodotus, they founded a total of 12 cities along the western Anatolian coast, from Phokaia (Foça/İzmir) in the north of İzmir to Miletos (Milet/Aydın) in the south, including the islands of Samos and Chios in the Aegean Sea. Although Ionians are often referred to as "Eastern Greeks" in earlier scientific studies, historical events and processes that took place in Ionia shaped many aspects of culture in continental Greece and Western civilization.
The Ionian region was home to many notable figures from Antiquity, including Thales and Anaximander of Miletos, Heraclitus of Ephesus, Anaxagoras of Clazomena and Xenophanes of Colophon, who were pioneers of the Ionian school of philosophy–considered as the foundation of modern Western philosophy and science. Additionally, the poet Homer, author of the Iliad and Odyssey, widely considered the cornerstone of Western literature, was also born and lived in Ionia.
This small Western Anatolian coastal region has had a significant influence on Western civilization, both culturally and economically. The impressive monumental architecture of the Ionian cities, including their towering temples, has left an impact that extends beyond Anatolia to places such as Southern Italy and Southern France. Additionally, the Ionians have played a significant role in shaping the customs and identity of the Lydians, one of the civilizations from Western Anatolia who are infamous for inventing minted coins.
The twelfth book of the Anatolian Civilizations Series, prepared in collaboration with Tüpraş and Yapı Kredi Publications, will be published in 2023.
List of Books Published so far in the Series:
- Urartu – Doğu’da Değişim / Transformation in the East
- Frigler: Midas’ın Ülkesinde, Anıtların Gölgesinde / Phrygians: In the Land of Midas, In the Shadow of Monuments
- Hititler – Bir Anadolu İmparatorluğu / Hittites-An Anatolian Empire
- Pergamon – Anadolu’da Hellenistik Bir Başkent / A Hellenistic Capital in Anatolia
- Lukka’dan Likya’ya – Sarpedon ve Aziz Nikolaos’un Ülkesi / From Lukka to Lycia The Land of Sarpedon and St. Nicholas
- Persler – Anadolu’da Kudret ve Görkem / The Persians – Power and Glory in Anatolia
- Assurlular Dicle’den Toroslar’a Tanrı Assur’un Krallığı / The Assyrians Kingdom of the God of Assur from Tigris to Taurus
- Hellenistik ve Roma Dönemlerinde Anadolu – Krallar, İmparatorlar ve Kent Devletleri / Hellenistic and Roman Anatolia Kings, Emperors, City States
- Karialılar: Denizcilerden Kent Kuruculara/ The Carians: From Seafarers to City Builders
- Bizans Dönemi’nde Anadolu / Anatolia in The Byzantine Period
- İonialılar: Ege Kıyılarının Bilge Sakinleri / Ionians: The Sages of the Aegean Shore