Anatolian Civilizations and Historical Sites - TEDA

ANATOLIAN CIVILIZATIONS:10x19 antik kentler 8/1/11 10:51 AM Sayfa
Pergamon
Located in ‹zmir's provincial district of Bergama, Pergamon is one of
the major sites of antiquity in Turkey. During the Archaic Period,
Pergamon appears to have been a minor settlement. After the
overthrow of Persian rule, the city came under Alexander's rule in
333 BC. Following Alexander's death, Pergamon was governed by
one of his generals, Lysimachus, who ruled Anatolia from 301 BC
onwards.
Lysimachus entrusted 9,000 talents to Philetairos, the commander of
Pergamon, to be used in the defense of the city. When Lysimachus died,
Philetairos declared himself king and used the money to develop the city.
For 150 years, Pergamon was one of the outstanding cultural centers of
the Hellenistic Period. During 20 years of rule (283-263 BC) Philetairos
extended his kingdom to the shores of the Sea of Marmara. Upon his
death, he was succeeded by his nephew Eumenes I (263-241 BC) After
Eumenes I, his son Attalos (214-197 BC) ruled and he fought with
Galatians and built up his capital city. Attalos was succeeded by
Eumenes II (197-159 BC), who transformed Pergamon into a powerful
kingdom. It was during the reign of this king that the beautiful Pergamon
acropolis was adorned with its finest buildings whereas the city became
one of the most important centers of culture, architecture and sculpture
in the Hellenistic world. Eumenes II was succeeded by his brother
Attalos II and after him Pergamon ruled by his son Attalos III who, upon
his death in 133 BC bequeathed his kingdom to Rome. Pergamon
continued to be an important center in Roman times. Augustus had the
victory monuments of the Pergamon Kingdom resurrected. Hadrian
completed the Temple of Trajan while Caracalla had the Temple of
Dionysos restored. During Byzantine times, Pergamon was the center of
a diocese. Stones from previous Hellenistic and Roman buildings as well
as ancient statuary were used as building material. In 716 the city was
occupied by Arab invaders for a while and captured by the Turks in 1330.
The site of Pergamon was first excavated by the German archaeologists
Carl Humann, Alexander Conze and R. Bohn between 1878-1886. It was
during this time that the magnificent reliefs of the Altar of Zeus were
The Trajaneum. A temple erected in honor of the deified Emperor Trajan
was completed after his death by Emperor Hadrian (117-138). This
Corinthian-order temple once stood 18 m. high and was faced by six
columns with nine along each flank. The temple has been partially restored.
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