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Seferihisar embraces many ancient historical buildings and ruins. Teos ancient city is the most important one of them. Teos is one of the 12 Ionian cities, which have been located on the western coast of Anatolia and two of the Aegean islands. According to tradition, Teos was founded by the colonists from Minyas and Orchomenos around the 11th century BC. Teos was members of the Ionian union together with Miletus, Myus, Priene, Ephesus, Colophon and Lebedus in the 8th century BC. Following the Persian invasions in the middle 6th c. BC, a considerable number of Teians migrated to Abdera, but preserved their contact with the Mother City.
After the earthquake that destructed the Western Anatolia entirely as well as Teos, in 304 BC., Antigonos planned to unite Teos and Lebedos as synoikismos. The records about Antigonos’ plan are preserved in detail on an inscription found at Seferihisar. However before he was able to do so, Teos was captured by Lysimachus the general of Alexander the Great, in 302 BC. Lysimachus moved a large part of the inhabitants at Teos and Lebedos to Ephesus in order to increase the population there.
In 190 BC. Antiochus III. who ruled an extended region including Teos was competing for the dominance on the Aegean coast with the Romans. Romans who became aware of this cunning plan attacked and defeated the fleet of Teos and coerced them to make a peace treaty. Teos under the Roman rule faded away through the passing time.
Teos was situated on the isthmus of a peninsu1a and possessed two harbors, one of them for trading and other for military. A portion of the city wall was in polygonal masonry, dating from the Archaic Period, is still standing below the acropolis on the south-east side, while a well-preserved section of Hellenistic city wall can be seen just west of temenos of the Dionysus Temple.
The largest temple to Dionysos in the ancient world was built at Teos by Hermogenes. It was planned on his 'eustyle theorie' with the intercolumniation 2.25 times the lower diameter of the columns. Study of the frieze with relieves, formerly decorating the temple but now in the İzmir Art and History Museum. The examination of the Attic style column-bases, reveal other features of Hermogenes. The temple must have been erected in the second quarter of the 2nd century BC. But it's understood by the help of the studies that, the Hellenistic building had been collapsed and today remains dates Augustus and Hadrianus periods.
Otherway, the theater of Teos is a good example of Greek type which blends harmoniously with the surrounding countryside. The theater built in the 2nd Century BC. lies at the south-west slope of the acropolis. The auditorium is completely in ruins, whereas the stage, enlarged in Roman times, is in quite a good state of preservation. A very beautiful view over the city and out to sea can be enjoyed from above the theater for spectators.
The multi-purposed building (Odeion=a roofed theater and Bouleuterion=Council House), lying north-west of trade agora, is a well-preserved structure of the Hellenistic and Roman Period.
The gymnasion of the city located to the north-east must have been one of the major public buildings in the city considering that the educational activities were institutionalized in Teos. An inscription dated to 3rd century BC. states that the educational system in the gymnasion was based on three principal classes and both the girls and the boys were educated there.
Moreover the lonian members of the Dionysian Actors Guild (Dionysian Tekhnitai) was first established in Teos towards the end of the 3rd century BC. It was important to Teos that the actors should lie in their town because, as taking part in the celebration during the festival of Dionysos was considered a sacred duty, the actors and the place where they resided had the right of asylum. However, towards the middle of the 2nd century BC. the actors moved to Lebedus, Ephesus and then Priene.
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