Paul’s Walk to Assos: A Hodological Inquiry into Its Geography, Archaeology, and Purpose Glen L. Tompson and Mark Wilson Te authors wish to congratulate Dennis Smith for his contributions to biblical scholarship and his passion for understanding the world in which the New Testament emerged. It was our privilege to become acquainted with Smith at the frst COMCAR gathering at Ephesus in 2008. We have renewed that friendship at the COMCAR alumni receptions held annu- ally at the Society of Biblical Literature meetings. A fond memory of our time at Ephesus is the photo taken of some of us reclining on the mosaic foor around the triclinium in the Marble Hall of the Terrace Houses. Smith always has dining on his mind, it seems, even during our Ephesus visit. Te Anatolian Biblical Roads Initiative frst presented there has now developed into Te Anatolian Roads Project (TARP). What follows is the fruit of a portion of our second research trip in Turkey in 2013. 1 1. Introduction Te essay begins by laying out briefy the background for the walk in the context of Paul’s third journey discussed in Acts 20. It next presents the likely route from Alexandria Troas to Assos by examining the material remains along the way, such as a bridge and roadways. Part of the route followed the Sacred Way linking Troas to the temple of Smintheus, and the 1. Tis research trip in June 2013 was conducted under the auspices of Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee, and the Asia Lutheran Seminary, Hong Kong, and sup- ported fnancially by Jerry and Kay Fischer and the Fischer Family Foundation. Many thanks are extended to them as well as to the students who also participated. -269- This e-offprint is provided for the author’s personal use and is not to be posted online. Copyright © 2016 by SBL Press.