THE GREEK TEMPLE OF ATHENA IN ASSOS ~ASIA MINOR

On the coast of Asia Minor in Turkey, opposite the Greek island of Lesvos, one can still see the ruins of the Greek city of Assos. A strong and rich city, protected by the Goddess Athena. The inhabitants of Assos built a magnificent temple in Her honour. The Temple of Athena stands at the top of a hill, 236 metres high. 
It is believed to have been built in 525 BCE. It is the only specimen of archaic Doric architecture in the entire Asia Minor. What makes this temple even more unique, is that it is the only building where the Doric style was mixed with the decorative elements of the Ionian tradition.

Surrounded by 34 columns, the building had a pronaos and a main temple, where the altar and the statue of Athena stood. Only priests were allowed to enter the building, while the offerings   were done outside. The altar did not survive, since it was destroyed by the christians in the Byzantine period. However, some interesting decorations were preserved - the creators of the Temple added scenes from the adventures of Heracles with the Centaurs, as well as decorations with bulls, sphinxes and plant motifs. The images that are preserved are quite crude and perhaps simpler, compared to other Greek temples, but they show us the willingness of the artists to combine different elements and create an elegant space to honor their  Goddess.

During the Byzantine era, the Temple and other buildings of the city were destroyed and their fragments were used for the construction of other buildings. Many of the Byzantine towers that exist in the area were built from pieces of the Temple of Athena. Nowadays, archaeologists are trying to collect as many pieces as they can find in order to rebuild the Temple - an effort that began in 1981 and continues to this day. Some of the surviving reliefs are in the Louvre and Boston Museum. The facade of the Temple has been restored and is taken to the Museum of Constantinople.

Parts of this temple still stand impressive, despite its destruction-  a powerful reminder of the Greek history of Ionia and of the respect of the Greeks for Athena, their Warrior Goddess.