Harbour of Assos Ancient City with regards to its position and usage

The ancient city of Assos is a distinguished coastal city located in the southwestern part of the region called Troas during ancient times, on the Biga Peninsula in Northwestern Anatolia today. It was founded in the 7th century B.C. by the Aeolians who came from the island of Lesbos in a location overlooking the Gulf of Edremit. It has a strategically important location in terms of maritime trade, near the opening of the straits to the Black Sea and close to natural resources. The harbour of the city was built with a mole and breakwater and it's included in the class of artificial ancient harbours. Within the scope of this dissertation, the ruins of the Assos harbour were examined, and it was understood from the remains of the harbour that there were 3-stages of construction. Since the city was established, its' dependence on the sea gradually increased and, concurrently, structural development increased in the port. This is supported by the finding that the second breakwater structure located east of the harbour, and the other building ruins located in the southeast corner of the main breakwater, were built in late antiquity. It is thought that the harbour of Assos was built in the first development period. In this study, the structures on the mole and also the importance of the harbour for the city have been evaluated to illustrate how active a role the city plays in maritime activities. A shipwreck with amphora cargo belonging to the Late Roman period located just outside the breakwater of Assos was also examined and evaluated to emphasize the function and importance of this harbour in maritime trade during Late Antiquity.