Great in 334 BC. 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. According to Christian tradition, St. Paul visited the city during his third missionary journey (53-57 AD) through Asia Minor on his way to Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. Acts 20 records that Luke the Evangelist and his companions ('we') "went ahead to the ship and sailed [from Troas] to Assos, there intending to take Paul on board ... and when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene". From this period onwards, Assos shrunk to the small village it has remained ever since. From the Middle Ages the only relics are 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 discovered an undamaged Hellenistic family grave with the name "Aristios" written on its cover. The grave contained the remains of a family of twenty-one. One of the family members was buried, while the remaining twenty were cremated and their ashes placed inside urn-like vases. The lids had been sealed with cement to prevent any foreign substance getting inside the urns.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 back to the Byzantine period.According to Professor Nurettin Arslan, 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 millennia. Eventually they were probably sold. Attractions On the acropolis 238 m above sea level stand the remains of the Doric order Temple of Athena, which date back to 530 BC. Six of the original 38 columns remain. On a clear day the view from the temple extends to nearby Lesbos in the south, to Pergamum in the southeast and to Mount Ida in the east. The Tuzla River flows to the north. To the northwest, two massive