 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. With 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.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. 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.
 The 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. 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.
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.
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.
 It 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.
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.
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. Zeus Altar can
be 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.
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.
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. It is thought that
patients were cured here by the sound of running water and by the
persuasive hypnotic techniques used by the priests.
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.
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. 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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