Ardassa was in the district of Chaldia in Pontus, and was located 15-20 km North-West of Argyroupolis (Gümüşhane). Ardassa is identified with the ancient city of Dorylaion from which it's current name of Torul appears to originate from. The city is built on the banks of the Upper Harsiote (or Kanis) river. A castle is built on the side and north of this river as evidenced by Clavijo during his travels through Chaldia on the 30th of April 1404.
During the period of Ottoman rule, Ardassa was devastated and depopulated whereupon Turkish noble Osman Bey moved in from the village of Monastir (Demirkapi) of Ambrikanton, and chose to make it his new seat. From then on, it became a subdistrict of the Ottoman Empire and a commercial/transport center of the wider region, in which there existed a number of Greek villages.
In 1901 the Ardassa bridge was built by chief builder N. Demirtzoglou of Santa and provided an increase in movement and transport to the town. The bridge still exists today. According to Panteli Melanofridi the Bridge of Ardassa is that which is referred to in the famous poem ‘Tis Trixas to Yefiri'.
Ardasa, Adisa, Avliana, Varaton, Bartanton, Yaratzanton, Dipotamos, Kagkelina, Karel, Korkotas, Kodona, Lapadion, Martin, Maurena, Mesohor, Mourtazi, Palihor, Pachtsopon, Pivera, Rak (Riaki). Sarpiska, Tsak, Tsarouchonos, Tsimprika, Tsiti Large, Tsiti Small, Haviana.
References:
Eastern Pontus , by Savvas Kalenteridis
The Encyclopedia of Pontian Hellenism
The Byzantine Monuments and Topography of the Pontos , A Bryer, D Winfield
See: The Greek settlements of Ardassa