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Pergamon
 Bergama situates at the north of Bakırçay,
where also the ancient town of Pergamon was established on a hilly area.
The town is built in a area of 88.650 hectare and 105 km. from İzmir city
centre, 30 km. inland. The economy depends on agriculture and main
products are tobacco, olive, grape and cotton. There are rich mineral
mines in the area as well as gold mines. The region is also very rich in
natural water sources and there are several thermal centres.
History of
Pergamon
After the death of Alexander the Great (323
B.C), Lysimachos, one of Alexander’s generals, chose Pergamon as the
depository for his vast wealth, placing here 9,000 talents of gold under
the guardianship of his lieutenant, Philetairos (283-263 B.C). Upon
Lysimachos’s death, Philetairos retained this money for himself and with
it founded the Pergamon monarchy which lasted 150 years. Pergamon later
became the capital of a flourishing Hellenistic kingdom and one of the
principal centers of Hellenistic civilisation. Philetariros extended his
kingdom as far as the shores of The Marmara Sea. After Philetairos his
nephew Eumenes I (263-241 BC) came into the power. He managed to preserve
these frontiers by paying tribute to the Galatians. Attalos I (241-197 BC),
the son of Eumenes I, defeated the Galatians in battle and began to use
the title of King. Attalos was deeply interested in art and culture. The
city was adorned with architectural splendours during his reign. Eumenes
II( 197-159 B.C.) raised the Kingdom of Pergamon to its rank of one of the
strongest states of Hellenistic times, by means of the close times he
established with Rome. He also brought the city to the climax of its
cultural prominence.
 When Eumenes II died his brother Attalos II (159-138 B.C.) ruled the
kingdom. The Kingdom die with AttalosIII ( 159-138 B.C.) and he bequeathed
(133 BC) his domains to the Roman Empire. Pergamon continued to be a very
important center during the Roman period. Pergamon became the center of a
diocese in the Christian era, and one of the Seven Churches of the
Apocalypse mentioned in Bible was located here. In Byzantine times, the
city was surrounded by a new wall, constructed from the the remains of
stone blocks, statues etc. dating from the Hellenistic and Roman eras. The
city went through the Arab and finally the Turkish period in the 14th
century.
Pergamon attained a high culture in the Hellenistic era, boasting an
outstanding library that rivalled in importance that of Alexandria, a
famous school of sculpture and excellent public buildings and monuments of
which the Zeus Altar is the best example.
Archaeological Evidence
A young German engineer Carl Humann, who was engaged in building a road in
Bergama in 1875 was told that a great quantity of loose stone was
available among the ruins at the top of the hill behind the city. That
which started as the need for road construction resulted in Humann’s
archaeological studies and the uncovering of many beautiful pieces
including the Zeus Altar and Gateway to the Sanctuary of Athena which were
subsequently taken to the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.
Acropolis
The function of the acropolis in Pergamon
was never the same as the function of the acropolis in Athens. In Athens
everything was focused on religion, whereas in Pergamon it was on social
and cultural activities, or in other words, daily life. As a result of
this contrast, major buildings in Pergamon were reserved for public use in
daily life. Even in the temples, religion was of secondary importance.
Buildings had large areas for the public where they could meet, walk or
join in social affairs. Pergamon was the first city to react against
functional urbanism of Hippodamus preferring ornamental urbanism.
Pergamenes agreed that functionalism was necessary, but that aesthetics
were to be given even more consideration.
The buildings of the Acropolis were designed
to be seen from below and to impress those viewing the city from the
valley. Except for the Trajan Temple all the buildings were built in the
Hellenistic period during which constructions were made of andesite and
very rarely in marble.
Heroon
In general, Heroon is a shrine dedicated to a deified hero. The Heroon in
the Acropolis of Pergamon was the imperial cult or the shrine in which
kings of Pergamon, especially Attalos I and Eumenes II, were worshipped.
It was a peristyle building made of andesite from the Hellenistic period.
The Sanctuary of
Athena
It was entered through a propylon which was built by Eumenes II. As
written in its inscription, it was dedicated to victory-bringing Athena by
King Eumenes. The entrance opens into a courtyard surrounded by three
stoas of the Doric order. This also dates from the same period. At the
corner near the theater was the Athena Temple in Doric order which was
built earlier, in the 3C BC. It was built of andesite and stood on a
crepidoma with two steps.
The Library of
Pergamon
The library built by Eumenes II, was the second of the three famous
ancient libraries. It contained 200,000 volumes. A century later Mark
Antony gave them to Cleopatra as a wedding present to be added to the
collection of the library in Alexandria. The library building was next to
the north stoa of the Athena Sanctuary. Most probably, the second floor of
the stoa was at the same level with the first floor of the library. It had
a large reading hall with many shelves all around, leaving an empty space
between walls and shelves for the circulation of air to prevent humidity.
Manuscripts were written on parchment then rolled or folded and put on
shelves.
When the Egyptians prohibited the export of papyrus, the King of Pergamon
ordered that a new material be found. The new discovery was "parchment", a
fine material from sheep or goat skin, highly polished with pumice stone
and slit into sheets. Therefore the name of Pergamon has been perpetuated
and seen as synonymous with the word "parchment".
The Temple of
Trajan
It was a 2C AD temple in Corinthian order, dedicated to Trajan, built by
his successor Hadrian. Both emperors were worshipped there. The temple was
built of marble, probably on the site of a previous Hellenistic building.
Before the construction, the area was levelled off by using a successful
arched and vaulted substructure. The temple is flanked by stoas on three
sides, the one at the back being higher than the others. It was in
Corinthian order to have a peripteros plan, with 9 by 6 columns.
The Theatre
It is said that the Theater in the acropolis of Pergamon is the steepest
raked Hellenistic theater in the world. The cavea of the theater which
consists of 80 rows of seats is divided into three sections by two
diazomas. The capacity was 10,000 people. The construction material is
andesite. Because it was originally a Hellenistic theater, there was not a
permanent stage building and people sitting on the cavea could see outside
and beyond the playing area. In the Hellenistic period, performances were
held in a festive atmosphere and took a long time. People spent a lot of
time in the theater, usually the minimum of a full day. Therefore, they
never wanted to block their view of outside and the stage building, being
made of wood, was portable. Square holes at the back of the orchestra were
for the portable stage building. The theater was also used during the
Roman period with some alterations.
The Zeus Altar
The finest altar ever built can be accepted as the Zeus Altar at Pergamon,
of about 180 BC, which stands in its own precinct but, most unusually,
without a temple. The altar, a marble offering-table, stood on an enormous
stone plinth, which also supported the double colonnade of Ionic columns
enclosing it on three sides. On the fourth side it was approached by a
fine stairway, nearly 20 m / 65 ft wide.
Much of the structure and almost all of the friezes are now in Berlin.
Decorated with vigorous friezes of life-size figures depicting a battle
between gods and giants, its contemporary context is probably King Eumenes
II’s celebration of his recent victories over the Gauls in Pontus and
Bithynia. If this is so, then the context incorporates within its
apparently straightforward mythology the King’s assertion of his own
triumphant role as the defender of traditions against barbarians.
Kızıl Avlu (The Red
Court)
This building was temple dedicated to Egyptian gods and goddesses , built
in the 2nd century A.D. from the time of the Emperor Hadrian. In the
Byzantine period it was converted into a basilica which was dedicated to
St.John. It was one of the seven churches of apocalypse. It was damaged by
Arabs in the 8th century A.D. The building is 60x26 metres and its court
extends 260x110 metres. Because of the red brick, used to construct the
building, it is called Red Court. There are two towers on the right and
left sides. The tower on the left side is used as a mosque today.
Pergamon: One of
the Seven Churches of Revelation (Revelation 2:12-17)
(12) "Write this letter to the leader of the church in Pergamos:
"This message is from him who wields the sharp and double-bladed sword.
(13) I am fully aware that you live in the city where Satan’s throne is,
at the center of satanic worship; and yet you have remained loyal to me
and refused to deny me, even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was
martyred among you by Satan’s devotees.
(14) "And yet I have a few things against
you. You tolerate some among you who do as Balaam did when he taught Balak
how to ruin the people of Israel by involving them in sexual sin and
encouraging them to go to idol feasts. (15) Yes, you have some of these
very same followers of Balaam among you!
(16) "Change your mind and attitude, or else
I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my
mouth.
(17) "Let everyone who can hear, listen to
what the Spirit is saying to the churches: Every one who is victorious
shall eat of the hidden manna, the secret nourishment from heaven; and I
will give to each a white stone and on the stone will be engraved a new
name that no one else knows except the one receiving it.
Asklepion
 Asklepieion was a sanctuary and a healing center built in the name of the
god of healing, Asklepios. It was similar to the one in Epidauros in
Greece and the in the island Cos. Although this place was set up in the 4C
BC, it had its peak during the Roman period. In mythology Asklepios, son
of Apollo, the god of healing, was a famous physician. His mother, Coronis,
a princess of Thessaly, died when he was an infant. Apollo entrusted the
child’s education to Chiron, a centaur, who taught Asklepios the healing
arts. Asklepios, when grown, became so skilled in surgery and the use of
medicinal plants that he could even restore the dead back to life.
Hades, ruler of the dead, became alarmed at
this and complained to Zeus, who killed Asklepios with a thunderbolt. The
healing center, Asclepieum, had been something very similar to a modern
natural healing clinic. Patients were given exercises, drugs, herbal
remedies, or could take the honey cure, drink the waters of the spring or
be treated by suggestion.
Here the dreams were analysed 2000 years
before Sigmond Freud. They could walk among the trees and be calmed by the
scent of pine. Over the gate had been inscribed the words: "In the name of
the Gods, Death is forbidden to enter". Snakes were sacred to Asklepios
because of their power to renew themselves. That is why there was a relief
of snakes at the entrance to the sacred area of the medical center
symbolising health. Among the famous physicians of the Asclepieum was
Galen. Galen (c.131-199 AD)
Galen was the most outstanding physician of antiquity after Hippocrates.
His anatomical studies on animals and observations of how the human body
functions dominated medical theory and practice for 1400 years. Galen was
born in Pergamon. A shrine to the healing god Asklepios was located in
Pergamon and there young Galen observed how the medical techniques of the
time were used to treat the ill or wounded. He received his formal medical
training in nearby Smyrna and then travelled widely, gaining more medical
knowledge. Galen dissected many animals, particularly goats, pigs and
monkeys, to demonstrate how different muscles are controlled at different
levels of the spinal cord. He also showed that the brain controls the
voice. Galen showed that arteries carry blood, disproving the 400-year-old
belief that arteries carry air. Galen was also highly praised in his time
as a philosopher. He closely followed the view of the philosopher
Aristotle that nothing in nature is superfluous. Galen’s principal
contribution to philosophic thought was the concept that God’s purposes
can be understood by examining nature. Galen’s observations in anatomy
remained his most enduring contribution. His medical writings were
translated by Arab scholars in the 9th century.
The Site
The Colonnaded Road connected Asclepieum to the city. Originally it was
820 m / 2,700 ft. Today only a small part of this road is visible. The
Propylon was located at the end of the colonnaded road and dates back to
2nd century AD. It had 12 steps and opened into a large courtyard which
was surrounded by stoas on three sides. Stoas originally had Ionic
capitals but after an earthquake in the 2C AD, some Corinthian capitals
were also used.
The Library was for both educational and
entertainment purposes with many medical books for the physicians and
other books for use by the patients. The Theater is a small building in
Roman style with a capacity of 3,500 people. It was mainly used for
performances to entertain the patients when not receiving treatment. The
Sacred Fountain provided water believed to have had healing power.
Sleeping rooms were used to make the patients sleep and analyse their
dreams. The Tunnel is a vaulted subterranean passageway. It is 80 m / 262
ft long. Under the floor ran water which provided relaxing sounds. On the
ceiling there are 12 windows to provide sunlight inside the tunnel. The
Round Treatment Center was a two-storied building. Today only the lower
floor remains. The walls and the floor were covered with marble and the
roof was made of wood.
The Temple of Asklepios was erected by the Consul of the time in the 2nd
century AD. The main part of the temple was cylindrical and covered by a
dome. The floor and the walls were decorated with marble mosaics. There
were many statues of gods and deities related to health including those of
Asklepios himself. This building can be accepted as one of the earliest
structures with a dome in Anatolia.
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