Iron Age Pausanias writes that the city was founded by
Minyans from
Orchomenus under the leadership of Athamas, a descendant of
Athamas the son of
Aeolus. Later on they were joined by
Ionians and more colonists from
Athens and
Boeotia. It was a member of the
Lydian group of the Ionian League, one of the four groups defined by
Herodotus, based on the particular dialects of the cities.
Vitruvius notes
Hermogenes of Priene as the architect of the
monopteral temple of
Dionysus at Teos.
Classical Age Persian period Teos was a flourishing seaport with two fine harbours until
Cyrus the Great invaded
Lydia and
Ionia (c. 546 BC). The Teans found it prudent to retire overseas, to the newly founded colonies of
Abdera in
Thrace and
Phanagoria on the Asian side of the
Cimmerian Bosporus. The port was revived by
Antigonus Cyclops. A shipwreck near Tektaş, a small rock outcrop near Teos harbour, dates from the Classical period (around the 6th to the 4th centuries BC) and implies trading connections by sea with the eastern
Aegean Islands.
Roman period During the times of the Roman emperors, the town was noted for its wine, a
theatre and Temple of
Dionysus. These are positioned near the
acropolis, which is situated on a low hill and had fortifications by the 6th century. ==The site today==