Aerial Photograph of the pier of the South Harbour (Kadıoğlu, 2021, 302, Figure 134a)
Teos was one of the important port cities of Ionia. It had a northern and a southern port. Strabo tells us that the northern port was located 30 stadia north of the ancient city and it was called Gerrhaiidai. The South Harbour is one of the best preserved ancient ports in western Anatolia.
Within the scope of the recent excavations in Teos, in 2011 and 2012, priority was given to the documentation and excavation of the ancient harbour both on the land and water. During these surveys, 153 m of the pier wall was documented. The double-wall built with binding stones must have been topped by double faced cornice blocks. Four interruptions along the wall provided access to a quay located on the north. The pier, which is 4.5 m wide in the west, was widened to 15.4 m by a perpendicular projection to the east.
This structural alternation must have been a result of the function of the port, possibly to accommodate more boats. The stones for tying up the boats are located on the side of the platform looking towards the shore.
Teos owns its wealth to the maritime trade and thus to its harbour. It played an effective role in the Mediterranean trade. Marbles known as Teos Grey and Africano were extracted from its quarries known since Hellenistic times and located at the Karagol district. The fact that these marbles were exported to Rome made Teos and its harbours even more important.
Archaeological map of Teos and its surroundings (Kadıoğlu, 2021, 25, Map 4)