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After the death of Alexander the Great, one of his generals who is called
Lysimachus chose Pergamum as the depository for his wealth. He placed nine
thousand talents of gold in Pergamum under the guardianship of Philetaerus
who was his lieutenant. After the death of Lysimachus, Philetaerus took
advantage of this wealth and founded the independent dynasty of Attalid
Kings which later became the center of Hellenistic civilization. |
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the success of the two kings Attalus I and Eumenes II, Pergamum reached
the highest point of its power. However during those time Rome and the
Hellenistic leaders united. |
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After that Pergamum became a very powerful kingdom by Attalus I including
Mysia, Lydia, Caria, Pamphylia and Phrygia. He not only extended the
borders but also decorated the capital city with architectural splendors.
Eumenes II improved the city culturally. King Attalus III bequeathed the
territory to the Romans who made the city rich in art and culture poor in
politics and economy. The city went through the Arab, Byzantine and
finally the Turkish period in the 14C. |
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In
Hellenistic period the ancient city made an intellectual progress with the
famous sculpture school and public buildings and monuments. Also Pergamum
played an important role during the reign of the Romans. |
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foundation of acropolis in Pergamum depended on social and cultural
activities which we can consider it to be the daily life. Because of this,
buildings in Pergamum were designed to be used in daily life. More than
religion socialization was important as a proof even the temples were one
of the meeting places of people where they can join in social affairs just
like other large buildings which were designed for this purpose. |
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Pergamum had the fame to be the first city who showed reaction to the
functional urbanism of Hippodamus as they preferred ornamental urbanism.
Acropolis buildings were built and designed with the aim of impressing the
ones viewing the city from the valley. |
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All
buildings except the Trajan Temple were built in the reign of the
Hellenistic emperors which are mostly made of andesite and rarely marble.
Heroon in Pergamum was the shrine in which the kings especially Attalus I
and Eumenes II were worshipped. Eumenes II built the Sanctuary of Athena,
dedicated to victory-bringing, in Pergamum which was entered through a
propylon. The entrance of the Sanctuary is surrounded by three stoas of
the Doric order which opens to a courtyard. |
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Athena Temple is located at the corner near the theatre in Doric order as
well which was built earlier. Another building constructed by Eumenes II
is the Library of Pergamum. |
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was the second of the three famous ancient libraries which contained two
hundred thousand volumes and which were given to Cleopatra a century later
as a wedding present by Mark Antony to be added to the ones in the library
of Alexandria. The library is located north of the Athena Sanctuary. The
Library of Pergamum was rich in sources but when the Egyptians prohibited
the export of papyrus, Pergamum King ordered a new material to be found
which can take the place of papyrus. |
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What
they found was called parchment which was a material made of sheep or goat
skin. It was polished first with pumice stone and then slit into sheets.
Because of this, the word parchment is used as a synonym of the name
Pergamum. In the 2nd century Hadrian who was the successor of Trojan have
the Temple of Trojan built in Pergamum in Corinthian order and dedicated
it to Trojan itself. It was built of marble. |
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The
Theatre of Pergamum is said to be the steepest raked Hellenistic theatre
in the world. The cavea of the theatre consists of eighty rows of seats is
divided into three sections by two diazomas. The theatre is designed for
ten thousand people in which and the site was used to construct. One can
see the typical Hellenistic characteristics of a theatre. Firstly it had
no permanent stage building and people were able to see outside and beyond
the playing area from where they were seated. |
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accepted as the finest altar ever built. It was built in 180BC without a
temple which is unusual. The altar which is a marble offering-table is on
a huge stone plinth which also supports the double colonnade of Ionic
columns. |
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Asclepion
Asclepion translates as 'place of
Aesklepios', the son of Apollo and the god of healing and health, and was
an important health center in Greco-Roman times. Among the types of
therapy practiced here were mud baths, sports, theatre, psychotherapy and
use of medicinal waters. |
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A
colonnaded street leads to the Asclepion, and to the left of the entrance
is the temple of Asclepios. This domed temple with its exceptionally thick
3m walls was built in 150 AD, with donations made to the god of health.
The interior was decorated with colorful marble mosaics, and surrounded by
galleries on three sides, the Asclepion has a passageway running through
the center alongside the sacred spring towards the therapy building. |
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It is
thought that patients were cured here by the sound of running water and by
the persuasive hypnotic techniques used by the priests. |
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The Temple of Serapis - The
Red Basilica
The biggest structure and best-known
attraction in the town is the Kizil Avlu (Red Basilica), a temple made of
red brick dedicated to the gods of Egypt. The temple lies in what is now
the modern day town of Bergama. The two pools in the temple with towers
indicate ritual cleansing rites and a religious background that was
neither Greek nor Roman. |
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The
fact that it faces west, and is decorated with statues in an Egyptian
style, indicates that it was possibly presented to Serapis, the Egyptian
god of the underworld. In the Byzantine period, it was turned into a
church by extensive remodeling, especially to the apse sections, and was
dedicated to the Apostle John. |
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In
early Christianity, it was one of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor
addressed by St John in the Book of Revelation, who referred to it as the
throne of the Devil. Although a crumbling ruin, it still contains the
remains of a mosque in one |
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Kusadasi Guide
Historical Places
Ephesus