DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.749#0011
6
INVESTIGATIONS AT ASSOS
sea, and placed in picturesque relation to each other. The whole
was enclosed by massive fortification walls. Outside of each
principal gateway were the Streets of Tombs, the chief one a
line of sarcophagi and monuments extending northerly to
the river, over which was a stone bridge leading to the culti-
vated fields, where still grows the wheat once so celebrated.
On top of the Acropolis was the Temple of Athena, which
formed here, like the Parthenon in Athens, a quiet sanctuary
far removed from the bustle in the city below. Its pavement
is nearly eight hundred feet above the sea level, and so steep is
the ascent that, from the edge of the cliff, one can look into
the holds of the small vessels clustered in the port below.
Immediately beneath, on the North, or inland side, are the
poorly-built houses of the present Turkish village of Behram,
mostly constructed of stones from ancient buildings. From the
Temple there is a magnificent view of sea and land. Look-
ing over the valley toward the North the plain is spread out
like a map, cut up into cultivated fields, with the river Touzla,
the ancient Satnioeis, winding through like a silver thread.
At the East are the heights of Mt. Ida. Across the strait, to
the South, is the beautiful island of Mytilene, the ancient
Lesbos ; while at the West is the peninsula of Leeton and the
open ALgean. The Acropolis must have been inhabited long
after the destruction of the Temple, as indicated by the late
fortification walls and the large accumulation of debris upon
the top, which, on this wind-swept site, could be due only to
human occupation. In excavating the Temple, the earth turned
up was full of bones, ashes, and other refuse; and the rough
walls of dwellings were found built on the very floor of the
Temple itself. Probably, in the middle ages, when the seas
were infested with pirates, the few remaining inhabitants
withdrew to the citadel, and there lived secure from attack,
occasionally venturing down to the port or cultivating their
fields. In the meantime the ancient city crumbled, and grass
grew in the streets; the winter rains, year by year, washed
down masses of earth, effacing gradually the lines of the ter-
races and filling up the hollows.
At the little Port of Behram, the Turkish village occu-
pying the site of ancient Assos, a Greek merchant, Mr. J.
Photiades, met the party, and this gentleman and his uncle,
Mr. Hagi Christo, were of great assistance in securing
lodging and subsistence, a matter of no small difficulty in
such a primitive community. The expedition was also
greatly indebted to them for many subsequent favors. All
the inhabitants of the village on the Acropolis were Turks,
about two hundred in number, who gained a scanty liveli-
hood by tilling their fields and pasturing their goats amongst
the ruins. They were semi-barbaric, and distrustful of
strangers.
At first no available dwelling could be found for the party
at Assos, and it was not until the middle of May that two
rooms were secured in the large grain magazine at the port.
By this time the survey was well advanced. A base line of
five hundred metres was measured in the river valley, and
another was laid out at the Street of Tombs. From the sta-
tions thus fixed, the triangulation advanced. The rugged
character of the ground made the choice of stations difficult,
but the calculations were constantly compared with direct
measurements, and the plan may be relied upon as accurate.
With the gradual completion of the survey, the explorers
became impatient for the arrival of the irade, or official
permit, to begin excavations. Permission to undertake inves-
tigations at Assos had been definitely granted to the Archaeo-
logical Institute of America by the Porte, through the
Turkish Minister of Public Instruction, as early as the autumn
of 1880; but, notwithstanding repeated requests made during
the winter by the American Legation in Constantinople, and
even a vigorously worded note from the Secretary of State, the
irade did not arrive until far into the summer.
At first it was difficult to obtain laborers, on account of the
scanty population of the land, and the first to arrive were
Greek quarrymen from the villages on the opposite coast of
Mytilene. Later came Greeks from Aivalee and villages on
the gulf of Adramyttion, and from islands of the archipelago,
some of them having been employed by the Germans at Per-
gamon, and these were of great use in instructing the others in
the proper way to handle architectural blocks. As a general
rule, the Greeks proved more diligent and intelligent laborers
than the Turks. There were, however, some of the Mos-
lems, notably discharged soldiers, who proved most faithful
and industrious. The men were, at first, paid at a uniform
rate of half a medjid {about forty-one cents) a day, which
was a trifle more than the usual wages for day laborers. The
number employed during the first season never exceeded
thirty-five. The hours of labor were from half-past five in
the morning until the same time in the afternoon, including
two hours’ recess — a half-hour for breakfast, and one and a
half hours at noon. A short siesta in the middle of the day
seems to be a necessity of the climate. The food of the men
was that which has supported the working classes of the land
from the earliest ages of Hellenic civilization. Bread was
prepared by the Greek baker of the port in the same man-
ner, and the loaves were of the same shape as in the fifth
century b.c. Goat’s-cheese and onions, or leeks, were eaten
with it, while the black native olives took the place of meat.
On the 6th of August the first digging began on the sum-
mit of the Acropolis, and the prospecting trench struck
immediately on the steps of the archaic temple which once
crowned the top.
Of the eleven weeks in this year during which excavations
were carried on, six were spent on the Acropolis, in uncovering
the temple and investigating the later fortification walls, in
search of reliefs. Only about a week each could be devoted
to the remaining sites —the theatre, gymnasium, Streets of
Tombs, and Agora. It was soon evident that investigations
would have to be continued during another year, in order thor-
oughly to study these sites. Towards the close of the season,
trial pits were dug in the river-bed, to trace the foundations
of the ancient Greek bridge, but this interesting work had to
be relinquished, owing to the rapid rise of the stream. At
the end of October the digging was brought to a close. Mr.
Clarke and Mr. Bacon, with Mr. Diller, engaged in com-
pleting drawings and making further measurements, and in
other requisite work, remained upon the site until the begin-
ning of December, by which time the winter had fairly set in.
The three winter months were spent in the preparation of
the First Report, and the drawings which it contained.
The work of archaeological investigation during the second
and third years, 1882 and 1883, was carried on by Air. Clarke,
Mr. Bacon, and Mr. Koldewey. The work at Assos was, roughly
speaking, so divided that Mr. Bacon, besides the surveys and
general topographical work, investigated the Street of Tombs,
the Gymnasium, and the Greek Bridge ; Mr. Koldewey was
occupied with the Agora and the buildings in its vicinity, in-
cluding the Stoa, Bouleuterion, and Greek Bath ; while Mr.
Clarke kept a general chronicle of all the results obtained by
the expedition, and made special studies of the fortifications
of the city, the Temple and the Mosque upon the Acropolis,
and the Theatre and Atrium of the lower town.
Mr. Joseph Silas Diller, then holding a scholarship of
INVESTIGATIONS AT ASSOS
sea, and placed in picturesque relation to each other. The whole
was enclosed by massive fortification walls. Outside of each
principal gateway were the Streets of Tombs, the chief one a
line of sarcophagi and monuments extending northerly to
the river, over which was a stone bridge leading to the culti-
vated fields, where still grows the wheat once so celebrated.
On top of the Acropolis was the Temple of Athena, which
formed here, like the Parthenon in Athens, a quiet sanctuary
far removed from the bustle in the city below. Its pavement
is nearly eight hundred feet above the sea level, and so steep is
the ascent that, from the edge of the cliff, one can look into
the holds of the small vessels clustered in the port below.
Immediately beneath, on the North, or inland side, are the
poorly-built houses of the present Turkish village of Behram,
mostly constructed of stones from ancient buildings. From the
Temple there is a magnificent view of sea and land. Look-
ing over the valley toward the North the plain is spread out
like a map, cut up into cultivated fields, with the river Touzla,
the ancient Satnioeis, winding through like a silver thread.
At the East are the heights of Mt. Ida. Across the strait, to
the South, is the beautiful island of Mytilene, the ancient
Lesbos ; while at the West is the peninsula of Leeton and the
open ALgean. The Acropolis must have been inhabited long
after the destruction of the Temple, as indicated by the late
fortification walls and the large accumulation of debris upon
the top, which, on this wind-swept site, could be due only to
human occupation. In excavating the Temple, the earth turned
up was full of bones, ashes, and other refuse; and the rough
walls of dwellings were found built on the very floor of the
Temple itself. Probably, in the middle ages, when the seas
were infested with pirates, the few remaining inhabitants
withdrew to the citadel, and there lived secure from attack,
occasionally venturing down to the port or cultivating their
fields. In the meantime the ancient city crumbled, and grass
grew in the streets; the winter rains, year by year, washed
down masses of earth, effacing gradually the lines of the ter-
races and filling up the hollows.
At the little Port of Behram, the Turkish village occu-
pying the site of ancient Assos, a Greek merchant, Mr. J.
Photiades, met the party, and this gentleman and his uncle,
Mr. Hagi Christo, were of great assistance in securing
lodging and subsistence, a matter of no small difficulty in
such a primitive community. The expedition was also
greatly indebted to them for many subsequent favors. All
the inhabitants of the village on the Acropolis were Turks,
about two hundred in number, who gained a scanty liveli-
hood by tilling their fields and pasturing their goats amongst
the ruins. They were semi-barbaric, and distrustful of
strangers.
At first no available dwelling could be found for the party
at Assos, and it was not until the middle of May that two
rooms were secured in the large grain magazine at the port.
By this time the survey was well advanced. A base line of
five hundred metres was measured in the river valley, and
another was laid out at the Street of Tombs. From the sta-
tions thus fixed, the triangulation advanced. The rugged
character of the ground made the choice of stations difficult,
but the calculations were constantly compared with direct
measurements, and the plan may be relied upon as accurate.
With the gradual completion of the survey, the explorers
became impatient for the arrival of the irade, or official
permit, to begin excavations. Permission to undertake inves-
tigations at Assos had been definitely granted to the Archaeo-
logical Institute of America by the Porte, through the
Turkish Minister of Public Instruction, as early as the autumn
of 1880; but, notwithstanding repeated requests made during
the winter by the American Legation in Constantinople, and
even a vigorously worded note from the Secretary of State, the
irade did not arrive until far into the summer.
At first it was difficult to obtain laborers, on account of the
scanty population of the land, and the first to arrive were
Greek quarrymen from the villages on the opposite coast of
Mytilene. Later came Greeks from Aivalee and villages on
the gulf of Adramyttion, and from islands of the archipelago,
some of them having been employed by the Germans at Per-
gamon, and these were of great use in instructing the others in
the proper way to handle architectural blocks. As a general
rule, the Greeks proved more diligent and intelligent laborers
than the Turks. There were, however, some of the Mos-
lems, notably discharged soldiers, who proved most faithful
and industrious. The men were, at first, paid at a uniform
rate of half a medjid {about forty-one cents) a day, which
was a trifle more than the usual wages for day laborers. The
number employed during the first season never exceeded
thirty-five. The hours of labor were from half-past five in
the morning until the same time in the afternoon, including
two hours’ recess — a half-hour for breakfast, and one and a
half hours at noon. A short siesta in the middle of the day
seems to be a necessity of the climate. The food of the men
was that which has supported the working classes of the land
from the earliest ages of Hellenic civilization. Bread was
prepared by the Greek baker of the port in the same man-
ner, and the loaves were of the same shape as in the fifth
century b.c. Goat’s-cheese and onions, or leeks, were eaten
with it, while the black native olives took the place of meat.
On the 6th of August the first digging began on the sum-
mit of the Acropolis, and the prospecting trench struck
immediately on the steps of the archaic temple which once
crowned the top.
Of the eleven weeks in this year during which excavations
were carried on, six were spent on the Acropolis, in uncovering
the temple and investigating the later fortification walls, in
search of reliefs. Only about a week each could be devoted
to the remaining sites —the theatre, gymnasium, Streets of
Tombs, and Agora. It was soon evident that investigations
would have to be continued during another year, in order thor-
oughly to study these sites. Towards the close of the season,
trial pits were dug in the river-bed, to trace the foundations
of the ancient Greek bridge, but this interesting work had to
be relinquished, owing to the rapid rise of the stream. At
the end of October the digging was brought to a close. Mr.
Clarke and Mr. Bacon, with Mr. Diller, engaged in com-
pleting drawings and making further measurements, and in
other requisite work, remained upon the site until the begin-
ning of December, by which time the winter had fairly set in.
The three winter months were spent in the preparation of
the First Report, and the drawings which it contained.
The work of archaeological investigation during the second
and third years, 1882 and 1883, was carried on by Air. Clarke,
Mr. Bacon, and Mr. Koldewey. The work at Assos was, roughly
speaking, so divided that Mr. Bacon, besides the surveys and
general topographical work, investigated the Street of Tombs,
the Gymnasium, and the Greek Bridge ; Mr. Koldewey was
occupied with the Agora and the buildings in its vicinity, in-
cluding the Stoa, Bouleuterion, and Greek Bath ; while Mr.
Clarke kept a general chronicle of all the results obtained by
the expedition, and made special studies of the fortifications
of the city, the Temple and the Mosque upon the Acropolis,
and the Theatre and Atrium of the lower town.
Mr. Joseph Silas Diller, then holding a scholarship of