Erythrae

Erythrae, also spelled Erythrai or Erythraea (Greek: Ἐρυθραί), was an ancient Greek city in Ionia on the western coast of Asia Minor, opposite the island of Chios. The site is near the modern town of Ildır in İzmir Province, Turkey. As a member of the Ionian League, Erythrae participated in regional diplomacy and commerce and flourished in the Archaic and Classical periods. It minted its own coins, illustrating a degree of economic autonomy within the Ionian coastal network.

Historically, Erythrae came under Persian influence in the early Iron Age as Ionia was incorporated into the Achaemenid realm and later continued to be shaped by Hellenistic polities after the campaigns of Alexander the Great. In the Roman period it remained inhabited and retained urban features, though like many Ionian cities it faced decline in late antiquity.

Archaeological work at the site, identified with the ancient city as Erythrai, has revealed substantial remains dating from the Archaic through the late Roman eras. Finds include fortifications, a hilltop acropolis, public buildings, streets, and a theatre, along with inscriptions that shed light on urban layout, religion, and daily life. Excavations and surveys conducted in the 20th and 21st centuries have contributed to understandings of Ionian urbanism and regional trade networks in the coast of Asia Minor.

The name Erythrae is derived from the Greek erythros, meaning red, a common toponymic element in the Greek world.