Larissa, another Aeolian town, was founded on the hill of basalt rock above the village of Buruncuk about 3 km. to the north of the Hermos (Gediz) river.
This site was excavated by German archaeologists during the campaigns of 1902 and 1932-1934. Among the various finds some pot-sherds going back to the third millennium B.C. have been recognised. Meanwhile, the remains of a temple and a palace on top of the hill, as well as those of the town walls of polygonal and ashlar masonry belong to a period which may be dated from the 7th century to the end of the 4th century B.C. The town declined after the coming of Alexander the Great in Asia Minor, when Pergamon to the north flourished.
An ancient road , the traces of which may be seen on the northern slope of the hill, led up to the main gate which gave access to a temple and then to the palace, or a large house within inner court. Some architectural fragments discovered in the cistern of the latest building may be seen in the İzmir Museum.
On the next hill to the north-east are the remains of a fort, triangular in shape.