Pergamon

The site of the celebrated ancient city of Pergamon is more or less the same as the modern Turkish town of Bergama, which is situated some 90km/56mi north of Izmir in the old region of Mysia. The remains of the Roman city are for the most part beneath the modern town, while the Greek city with the imposing ruins of its royal stronghold occupies a magnificently impressive location on the summit and along the terraced slopes of the hill which rises above Bergama to the east. To the east of the hill flows the Kestel Çayi (Ketios in antiquity) and to the west the Bergama Çayi (Selinus).

From the fifth to the early third century B.C., Pergamon was a small fortified settlement on the summit of a hill, and may well have belonged in its early days to large Persian landowners. The Pontian Philhetairos (283-263) established himself as the ruler of the independent state of Pergamon. It was subsequently defended by Eumenes I (263-241) and Attalos I (241-197) against the Syrian kings and the Galatians, a Celtic people who had made their way into Asia Minor. Attalos I was responsible for the circuit of walls built half-way down the hill.

During the reign of Eumenes II (179-159) an alliance with Rome brought the Attalid dynasty to its peak and a new ring of walls was built around the foot of the hill. One of the most famous achievements was the creation of the library which came to possess 200,000 volumes. These later went to enrich Mark Antony's rival library in Alexandria.

Pergamon is credited with the invention of parchment. Learning flourished and there was a great flowering of sculpture and painting. Christianity gained a foothold and Pergamon is listed as one of the Seven Churches of Asia (Revelations 1:11 and 2:12ff). When insecurity increased in the second half of the second century, a new wall was built round the hill at a higher level than that built by Eumenes II.

In Byzantine times another wall was built higher up the hill, enclosing a still smaller area, to provide protection against Arab invasions (seventh century) and also the Seljuks and Ottomans in later years.

The Pergamon region was occupied by the Ottomans in the 14th century and thereafter the city on the hill was abandoned and fell into decay, while the new town of Bergama grew up on the south side of the hill.