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Pergamon

Pergamon
(Grc)

Location

Country

Turkey

Province

Izmir

District

Bergama

Ancient regions

Caria , Ionia

Contact

39 07 '08 "North
27 09 '56 "East / 39.118834, 27.165552

Pergamon

Pergamon (in Greek / literally "citadel" in Latin is an ancient city in Asia Minor , in Mysia north of Smyrna , at the confluence of the Caicos and Ctios , about 25 km from the Aegean. Currently, his name is Bergama ( Turkey , Izmir province ).

Summary

1 History
- 1.1 The city at its peak ⁱⁿ the second century BC. AD
- 1.2 The library of Pergamum ⁱⁿ the third century BC. AD
2 List of kings of Pergamum
3 Notes and references
4 Appendices

/ / History

Historical map of the acropolis of Pergamon

The settlement of Pergamum is attested from the ^eighth century BC. AD. Although tradition says was founded by the Greeks of Arcadia it is unlikely to have been a colony Greek , given its remoteness from the sea The King of Persia gives the Spartan Demaratus to 480 BC. AD Another indication of the city witnessed was in 339 when it is ruled by a tyrant Greek.

It was after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 , that emerges from Pergamon anonymity. The Crown Prince Lysimachus , one of his generals, his treasures are stored in the custody of the eunuch Philtairos. He takes possession of Pergamum and founded in 282 state Pergamien. He reigns at first under the tutelage of the Seleucids. Taking advantage of the fight between them, his nephew and adopted son Eumenes ^I. , real founder of the dynasty Attalides , defeated Antiochus ^I. in 262 , thus ensuring the independence of Pergamum, which is strengthened by Soter Attalus ^I. , first of the dynasty to assume the title of king. He allied with the Romans during the first Macedonian war , against Philip V of Macedon. After the Roman victory of Magnesia Sipylus in 189 , for the peace of Apamea , Pergamon received from Rome a great part of Asia Minor. By the victory of Attalus I Soter ^st against the Galatians (of Celts of Anatolia Central), Pergamon expands territory of the Hellespont to Caria and Ionia , in Cappadocia and western part of Phrygia. It was then a kingdom continental, with only one major port, Attalia because the Greek ports of the Aegean retain their independence.

The climax is reached in Pergamum Eumenes II ( 159 ), king from 197. The city has a thriving agriculture and industry: industry manufactures fabrics, ceramics and especially the parchments (Greek / parchment, that is to say, which means "skin of Pergamum, now in French " parchment "), the industry developed after the ban of Ptolemy V , jealous of the library of Pergamum, from exporting papyrus Egyptian to Pergamum. Great builder, Eumenes II expanded the city, strengthens fortifications, built the Great Altar (now in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin ) and the Temple of Athena , many gyms , and a large library. It acquires and protects sculptures Delphi. At that time, Pergamum is both an ally of Rome and a promoter of Hellenism in Asia Minor to counterbalance the alliance generates enmity from the Greek cities. It became one of the great centers of Hellenistic culture, with Athens and Alexandria. It attracts many sculptors and philosophers.

Model of the ancient city of Pergamon, Staatliche Museen Berlin

The last ruler Attalid, Attalus III ( 139 - 133 ), without an heir, will chooses Rome as executor, in 133 , leaving the choice to find the best successor. The Roman Senate prefers to keep the administration of the rich kingdom, which is the province of Asia. Under Roman rule, prosperity and continued expansion of Pergamon. In ^the second century AD. AD , she knows even a second peak, with the building of temples including the temple of the Egyptian gods, known as "Red Court (Kzl Avlu). The sanctuary of Asclepius became a medical center with a great reputation. It is the birthplace of the great physician Galen.

At the end of that ^centuryII , Pergamon converted to Christianity. The temple of Serapis , in the sanctuary of the Egyptian gods, is transformed into a church Christian , it is mentioned in the Apocalypse among the seven churches of Asia . The city is then the decline of the Roman Empire.

In 716 AD. AD it was conquered by the Arabs , then retaken by the Byzantines and came under Ottoman rule in the fourteenth ^century. This provincial town still exists under the name of Bergama.

The city at its peak ⁱⁿ the second century BC. AD

Pergamon, built on a hill (335 m) is the superposition of three cities, together with each other by stairs, with gazebos and terraces supporting two-story porticoes. In the upper town lie the administrative buildings ( agora , palace, arsenal, library, theater, temples of Dionysus , of Athena Polias, Altar or Altar said Zeus ) and the average city, a beautiful gymnasium, the temples of Demeter and Hera Basileia, the Military Academy. The lower city is the commercial center.

Wonderful architectural achievement, the city is the center of a rich soil (wheat, olives, grapes, livestock). The industry is diverse (perfumes, fine linen, parchment). Its library rivaling that of Alexandria (400 000 volumes ^{The Library of Pergamum ⁱⁿ the third century BC. AD}

The library faces the famous Pergamum library of Alexandria in Egypt , fighting with her best manuscripts and the best specialists in two competing visions:

At Alexandria was practiced study of the lexicon, text line by line, word by word. The establishment of conclusions made by confrontations of the texts dealt with so scrupulous.
At Pergamum the contrary, we sought the deeper meaning - or hidden - text, whereas what was really meant does not necessarily correspond to what was written.