Ancient City of Assos (Behramkale), Çanakkale
Assos is an ancient Greek city located near the modern village of Behramkale in the Ayvacık district of Çanakkale Province, on the southern coast of the Troad, overlooking the Gulf of Adramyttion and the island of Lesbos. The city occupies a steep volcanic hill rising about 235 m above sea level, giving it commanding views over land and sea.
(Source: Wikipedia – Assos
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assos
UNESCO Tentative List – Archaeological Site of Assos
https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6242/)
Assos was founded in the 7th–6th centuries BC by Aeolian Greek colonists from Methymna (Lesbos). Because its harbour was practically the only good anchorage along an 80 km stretch of coast, Assos soon became an important commercial port and gateway between the Aegean and inland Anatolia.
(Source: Wikipedia – Assos / History
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assos
History Hit – “Assos – History and Facts”
https://www.historyhit.com/locations/assos/)
At the summit of the acropolis stands the Temple of Athena, built around 540–530 BC and regarded as the only known Archaic Doric temple in Asia Minor. Originally surrounded by 34 Doric columns, several have been re-erected today. Sculpted frieze blocks from the temple are now housed in museums such as the Louvre and the Boston MFA.
(Source: Temple of Athena in Assos – Türkei Antik
https://www.tuerkei-antik.de/Tempel/assos_en.htm
Assos Alarga – Temple of Athena
https://www.assosalarga.com/temple-of-athena-in-assos
Airial Travel – Temple of Athena Assos
https://www.airial.travel/attractions/t%C3%BCrkiye/behram/temple-of-athena-assos-qSl4FOMC)
Under the rule of Hermias of Atarneus in the 4th century BC, Assos enjoyed a “golden age” as a philosophical centre. Hermias invited several philosophers to the city; Aristotle lived here for a few years, married Pythias (Hermias’s niece) and founded a small academy. After Persian occupation and liberation by Alexander the Great, the city later came under the control of the kings of Pergamon before being absorbed into the Roman Empire. Assos was also the birthplace of the Stoic philosopher Cleanthes.
(Source: Wikipedia – Assos / History & Notable residents
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assos)
In Roman times Assos was a walled city with fortifications about 3.2 km long and up to 20 m high, flanked by towers and gates. Inside the city, visitors can still trace the agora with its stoas, the bouleuterion, gymnasium, theatre and Roman baths, stepped down the slope between the acropolis and the sea.
(Source: Assos Ancient City – Assos Rehberim
https://www.assosrehberim.com/en/nm-Assos_Ancient_City-cp-100
Wikipedia (German) – Assos / Bauten
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assos)
The Acts of the Apostles records that Paul the Apostle visited Assos on his third missionary journey; Luke and his companions sailed from Troas to Assos and took Paul on board there, continuing to Mytilene. In the Middle Ages Assos contracted to a small settlement; surviving monuments include the Hüdavendigar Mosque and a 14th-century bridge, representing early Ottoman architecture.
(Source: Wikipedia – Assos / Early Christian and medieval period
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assos)
Archaeological investigations began in 1881–1883 with an American team and resumed in 1981 under Turkish leadership. Excavations, now directed by Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, have brought to light spectacular finds such as a 2,200-year-old mosaic, an 1,800-year-old monumental tomb, a long Hellenistic stoa and a well-preserved early Ottoman bathhouse, highlighting the city’s continuous occupation from the Archaic period to the Ottoman era.
(Source: Turkish Museums – Assos Archaeological Site
https://www.turkishmuseums.com/museum/detail/2019-canakkale-assos-archaeological-site/2019/4
Anadolu Agency – “2,200-year-old mosaic, 1,800-year-old tomb discovered in Assos”
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/culture/2-200-year-old-mosaic-1-800-year-old-tomb-discovered-in-ancient-turkish-city-of-assos/3459323
Anews – “3,500-year-old stoa discovered in Türkiye’s ancient city of Assos”
https://www.anews.com.tr/travel/2025/07/26/3500-year-old-stoa-discovered-in-turkiyes-ancient-city-of-assos
Daily Sabah – “14th-century Ottoman hammam discovered in Assos”
https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/14th-century-ottoman-hammam-discovered-in-assos-nw-turkiye/news)