Assos, known today as Behramkale or Behram, is a small Aegean coastal city in Turkey. The city was founded around 1000 - 900 B.C. by colonists from the island of Lesbos. Hermias of Atarneus (a student of Plato) ruled Assos in the middle of the 4th century B.C. and encouraged philosophers to move to the city. Aristotle, after he left Athens, came to the city and opened a school of philosophy in 348 B.C. Assos experienced its greatest prosperity under the rule of Hermias. The Persians attacked and gained controlled of Assos a few years after Aristotle's school opened. They killed Hermias and caused Aristotle to flee to Macedonia, where he ending up tutoring a young Alexander the Great. When Alexander was just 22 years old he freed Assos from Persian rule. In 133 B.C. the Romans took control of the city. During his third missionary journey the apostle Paul and his traveling companions visited Troas for several days. Paul, wanting to stay in the city a few more hours to teach, sent his friends (which include Luke) ahead of him to Assos by boat. The sea journey was about 50 miles (80.5 kilometers).
After teaching for a few more precious hours Paul walked from Troas to Assos, a land trip of about 21 miles (33.8 kilometers). He met up with his traveling companions in Assos where they then boarded a ship to Mitylene (Acts 20). | |  Distance to the city from
Troas by boat and over land. |
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