Pergamon (also
Pergamos,
Pergamum)
received the third
letter of the seven
letters of the
St. John to the
Churches of Asia
Minor. The
impressive city has
been variously
described as the
most illustrious
city of Asia
(Barclay); the most
spectacular
Hellenistic city of
Asia Minor because
of its imaginative
town planning
(Mellink, IDB, III:
734); and a royal
city (Ramsay,
Letters, p. 295).
The city was located
16 miles inland from
the Aegean Sea, two
miles north of the
Caicus River (modern
Bakir Cay) in
southern Mysia. It
was about 57 miles
north of Izmir,
built on a precipice
about 1165 feet
above sea level, one
thousand feet above
the surrounding
plain. The image of
strength and
permanence is
obvious on first
glace of the city's
remains. The
terraces that
overlook the Caicus
River valley lead to
the entry gate of
the city.
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The two
small
tributaries
of the
Caicus that
neared the
city, the
Selinus to
the west,
the Cetius
to the east
were
navigable by
small
vessels that
transported
goods in the
ancient
period from
the sea. The
city was
also joined
to an inland
road
climbing
over toward
Thyatira and
on into
Sardis.
Today, the
modern
Turkish town
of
Bergama
(population
45,000)
surrounds
the ancient
precipice,
and
partially
covers the
ruins of
Roman
Pergamum.
There
appears to
have been a
small
settlement
in
antiquity,
but little
is known of
its history.
By the C5th
BCE coins
were issued.
The city
became
prominent in
the
Hellenistic
Period.
Lysimachus,
a successor
to
Alexander
the Great,
deposited
9,000
talents of
gold for war
expenses
with a
regional
General
named
Philetaerus.
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The General
revolted
against the
rule of
Thrace, and
when news
came of the
death of
Lysimachus
in 232 BCE,
Philetaerus
used the
9,000
talents to
set up his
own kingdom,
calling it
the Attalid
Kingdom
(named after
the nephew
of
Philetaerus).
The
successive
dynasty was
celebrated
in the
heroon,
built by the
citadel
gate. This
served as a
sanctuary
for the
kings, then
worshipped
as gods. The
succession
was as
follows:
Philetaerus
(282-263
BCE).
Eumenes I
(263-241
BCE).
Extensive
minting of
coinage. |
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Attalus I
(241-197
BCE).
Held against
the
attacking
Galatians
who had
migrated
from Gaul
(Gallic
tribes). He
carefully
aligned
himself
closely with
Rome. He
took the
title savior
as the
protector
against
barbarians.
He expanded
the kingdom
along the
Aegean and
inland.
Eumenes
II (197-159
BCE).
This king
was most
responsible
for building
the majority
of the
Pergamum
city seen
today. He
built the
Doric Temple
to Athena
and a
theatre on
the steep
western
slope (170
BCE).
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The now decimated
altar of Zeus to
commemorate the
victory of Attalus I
was built in his
reign, as well as
the 200,000 volume
library, which
rivaled Alexandria.
He completed most of
the work on the
city�s five palaces
and five theatres.
Built toward the end
of his reign, the
arsenal contained a
huge supply of
catapult stones, and
was said to have
contained enough
grain for 1000 men
for a year. Most
archaeologists also
credit his building
campaign with the
2700 foot Corinthian
colonnade called the
Sacred Way (common
to many noble
cities). This lead
to the Asclepion, or
healing center.
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Attalus
II (159-138
BCE). He
sent money
for the
famous Stoa
of Attalus
(now
entirely
restored as
a museum)
near the
forum in
Athens.
Attalus
III (138-133
BCE).
Intending
apparently
to bequeath
all the
movable
assets of
his lands to
the Romans,
they
generously
interpreted
the gesture
as a
complete
inheritance
of his
throne and
lands
totaling
some 66,750
square
miles.
In the Roman
period,
Pergamum
became the
capital of
Asia, as the
first city
to make an
alliance
with Rome.
Ephesus
became the
capital of
the
province,
but scholars
have argued
that this
city
remained the
focal point
of the
worship of
the Roman
Emperors.
The city
lost its
great
library to
Alexandria
when Mark
Antony gave
it to
Cleopatra.
The famous
physician
Galen, who
served the
emperors
Marcus
Aurelius,
Commodus,
and
Septimius
Severus, was
born here in
129 CE. |
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The religious life
of
Ephesus has been
the subject of much
research by scholars
and historians.
Three specific
threads appear to be
visible.
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First, the
association
with the
worship of
snakes and
the handling
of reptiles
in antiquity
appears
valid. Other
early signs
of the
worship of
Dionysus,
the god of
vegetation
also appears
to be well
accepted.
Later,
worship of
Asklepios
(Roman
Aesculapius)
the god of
healing
emerged. The
serpent
became the
emblem of
Asklepios.
A Pergamene
coin shows
the emperor
Caracalla
standing
spear in
hand before
a great
serpent
twined
around a
bending
sapling.
Christians
must thus
have found
the cult of
the god of
healing, and
his serpent
infested
temple,
peculiarly
revolting
(Blaiklock,
Ibid.). The
altar of
Zeus built
by Eumenes
II to
commemorate
the victory
of Attalus I
over the
Gallic
invaders had
striking
pagan scenes
on the
frieze. The
gods of
Olympus were
represented
as giants
with serpent
like tails.
Zeus was
called
savior. |
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The second
association
was dominant
in the
Hellenistic
kingdom.
This
included the
worship of
Zeus and the
goddess
Athene.
Finally, the
Imperial
Cult
flourished
in the city,
making it a
neokoros or
temple
guardian for
the Roman
Imperial
cult. The
first temple
in Asia was
erected to
Augustus in
29BCE. Other
temples were
later
erected to
honor Trajan
and
Caracalla.
It was
Emperor
Domitian who
made these
temples a
litmus test
for civic
loyalty. |
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