A long way to drive today so only a few sites to visit.

The first site is the walled City of Pergamon access to which is by gondola. Dating back to the 6th century BC there have been many rulers of the city including Alexander the Great. Some of the buildings have been partially reconstructed using original materials. The more impressive ones being the Temple of Trajan and the Sanctuary of Athena. In its existing form is The
Hellenistic Theater. With seating for 10,000 it has the steepest seating of any known theater in the ancient world.

The next site was the Asclepion, the most famous ancient medical centre. As far back as 350BC the unhealthy could bathe in the water of the sacred spring and in their dreams the God Asclepious would appear to tell them how to cure their illness. The Asclepion of Pergamum became famous in the 1st century AD when a physician (Galen), who had practiced his medical studies in Greece and Egypt, returned to Pergamon as doctor to the gladiators. During this time he gained much experience in trauma and wound treatment . He has apparently set the standard for modern medicine in many ways.

The Pergamon Library at this site is also famous for the invention of.parchment as a recording medium. It was necessary to find a replacement for Papyrus which was brought in from Egypt as the library at Alexandria, Egypt, jealous of the growth and renown of the Pergamon Library, cut off exports of papyrus. Parchment is still in use by the USA congress for printing enrolled bills or resolutions.

There are also other buildings on the site including a theatre with views over the valley below.

Next was a stop at an Onyx factory where we were shown the raw stone cut and polished. One small purchase was made (of course).

The last site visit was the archeological site of Assos (1,000 BC) which included the Temple of Athena built in the 5th century BC. Some of the columns have been accurately reconstructed from the debris. The unique friezes which were above the columns however can now be found in a couple of museums in Turkey and museums in Boston and the Louvre. The Temple had been modified from its original size over time. Down the bottom of the hill near the water is the theatre. From the temple it is possible to see the Island of Lesbos of Greece.

Our final visit was our accommodation at the Grand Assos Hotel – a stone hotel positioned beside a small marina full of fishing boats. As this was to be the last night we would all be together the tour company shouted us dinner.