thumb|Map of Assos
Assos (; , ) was an ancient Greek city near today's Behramkale () or Behram for short, which most people still call by its ancient name of Assos. It is located on the Aegean coast in the Ayvacık district of Çanakkale province, Turkey. It is on the southern side of Biga Peninsula (better known by its ancient name of the Troad). Assos sits on the coast of the Adramyttian Gulf (Turkish: Edremit Körfezi) and used to offer the only good harbour along the of coast which made it very important for shipping in the Troad.
Assos' most famous resident was the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Assos is also the birthplace of Cleanthes, who later was to succeed Zeno of Citium as head of the Stoic school of philosophy. The Acts of the Apostles also refers to visits to the city by Luke the Evangelist and Paul the Apostle.
Today, Assos is a holiday retreat amid ancient ruins. In 2017 it was inscribed on the UNESCO Tentative list of World Heritage Sites in Turkey.
History
Antiquity
thumb|right|350px|Temple of [[Athena in Assos, overlooking the Aegean]]
thumb|300px|Ancient theatre of Assos overlooking the Aegean, with the island of [[Lesbos on the horizon to the right]]
thumb|City walls
The city was founded from 1000 to 900 BC by Aeolian colonists from Lesbos, who are said to have come from Methymna. The settlers built a Doric Temple to Athena on top of the dominant crag in 530 BC. From this temple Hermias of Atarneus, a student of Plato, ruled Assos, the Troad and Lesbos during the town's greatest period of prosperity. (Strangely, Hermias was actually the slave of the ruler of Atarneus.) Hermias encouraged philosophers to move to the city and one of those who answered the call was Aristotle, who came here in 348 BC and married Hermeias's niece, Pythia. Aristotle founded an Academy in Assos where he became chief amongst a group of philosophers, and together with them, made innovative observations on zoology and biology. Assos' 'golden period' ended several years later when the Persians arrived and tortured Hermias to death. Aristotle then fled to Macedonia, which was ruled by his friend King Philip II of Macedon
The Persians were driven out by Alexander the Great in 334 BC. Not long afterwards Assos became the birthplace of Cleanthes, who later succeeded Zeno of Citium as head of the Stoic school of philosophy in Athens. Between 241 and 133 BC, the city was ruled by the Kings of Pergamon. However, in 133 BC, the Pergamons lost control of the city and it was absorbed into the Roman empire.
Middle Ages
During Byzantine times the city was called Makhramion (Μαχράμιον) from a Byzantine officer named Makhram, hence its modern name of Behramkale.
In the early 14th century, the town was filled with refugees from Mysia, who were fleeing from Turkish raiders who invaded Western Anatolia. The Turks attacked the region and the city's population, along with the refugees, abandoned Makhramion and fled to the island of Mytilene.
From the Middle Ages there exist the Hüdavendigar Mosque and Bridge, dating back to the second half of the 14th century. The mosque is on the hilltop near the ruined temple while the bridge is off the road to Ayvacık.
Modern archaeological discoveries
The ruins of ancient Assos continue to be excavated. In 2018, archaeologists also discovered many strigils, some of them iron, but most of them bronze.
Archaeologists also uncovered a 2,200-year-old Hellenistic lion sculpture and a 1,500-year-old stone oven dating to the Byzantine period. The sculpture was unearthed from a structure used as an inn at that time, and one of the Byzantine period findings contained a cooking stove with three pots.
The pillars from the ancient port lay in the harbour for over a millennium. Eventually they were probably sold.
Attractions
On the acropolis 238 m above sea level stand the remains of the only Doric order temple in Asia Minor, which was dedicated to Athena and dates to 530 BC. Six of the original 38 columns remain. In the early 1900s sculptures of the Temple of Athena were moved to museums including the Louvre.