Even today when travel is so convenient we don't see thousands of people moving to a city in a different country.
I really doubt more than 1% of Ephesus were from Italy at that time, when travel was much more difficult and not safe.
You make it sound like it was Italians, while in reality it was almost entirely the local population, the ancestors of those that today live in Izmir.
Ever been to Izmir? They are usually very intelligent people.
Kingdom of Lydia, the very people that invented the coin and shops we're in that same area before the Roman empire:
I am saying the people in this area have always been smart, doesn't make them Italian because you we're part of the same empire at one time.
Markus all these countries populations are not italians:
Same as all these countries populations are not turkish:
Very interesting how the 2 maps are almost identical, only difference being Roman empire had more western parts.