Ildır
The ancient name of Ildırı village, located 20 km north-east of Çeşme, is Erythrai. It is believed that the word Erythrai derives from Erythros, which means ‘Red’ in Greek, and that Erythrai means ‘Red City’ due to the red colour of the city soil. According to another hypothesis, the city was named after its first founder Erythro, the son of Rhadamanthes of Crete.
The findings unearthed in the city show that this region has been inhabited since the Early Bronze Age. During the second colonisation period, the city was under the rule of Knopos, a descendant of the Athenian king Kadros. The city, which was initially ruled by a kingdom, was later ruled by Vasileus, who was also a descendant of the king but elected by the people. They joined the Panionion religious and political union established by the Ionian cities. The city experienced a short period of tyranny with Payhagoras and gained importance with the millstones it produced and sold during this period. Erythrai was captured by Lydia and then Persia. The city, which participated in the uprising against the Persian yoke like other Ionian cities, gained its independence in 334 BC together with all Ionian cities. Erythrai, which changed many hands as a result of the turmoil that emerged after Alexander's death, passed into the hands of the Pergamon (Pergamon) Kingdom.
