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Klazomenai

Asia

Klazomenai was one of the twelve cities of ancient Ionia, on the southern coast of the Gulf of Izmir near modern Urla, Turkey, about 20 miles west of Izmir. Originally founded on the mainland at Limantepe, it relocated to Karantina Island during the Ionian Revolt against Persian rule in the early 5th century BC, and Alexander the Great later connected the island to the mainland with a causeway. The city was among the first to issue silver coinage, produced renowned painted terracotta sarcophagi, and, according to Aristotle, its citizens pioneered commodity-based lending around 350 BC, using olive oil to secure grain purchases.

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