Strangers or refugees from the Ionian city of Colophon settle in the city of Smyrna and finally (traditionally in 688 BCE) by an uprising Smyrna passes into their hands and becomea the thirteenth of the Ionian city-states.Throughout antiquity, Smyrna is a leading city-state of Ionia, with influence over the Aegean shores and islands.

Smyrna is also among the cities that claims Homer as a resident.