Pergamon: The Glorious Greek City and the Smart Alliance with Rome

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The ancient Greek metropolis of Pergamon successful Anatolia flourished and enjoyed a agelong play of glory, forging a palmy confederation with Rome successful the Hellenistic Period.

Εstablished successful the 3rd period BC, Pergamon became known for its taste and governmental significance. The kingdom played a captious relation successful the Hellenistic world, particularly during the clip of Attalus III, who near it to the Roman Republic successful his volition successful 133 BC.

This marked a important displacement successful powerfulness dynamics successful the region. It became the superior of the Roman state of Asia for the adjacent 2 centuries, until the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great and the commencement of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire.

History of Pergamon

The MArket Gate of Miletus, a marvel of Ancient Greek architecture successful the Pergamon Museum of Berlin

Archaeological finds astir Pergamon day backmost to the Stone Age and Bronze Age, including the clip of the Hittites, conquerors of astir of Anatolia astir 1400 BC. After the illness of the Hittite empire astir 1180 BC, Thracian and Mycenaean Greek tribes moved done oregon settled successful the area.

The portion of Anatolia which included Troy became known arsenic Mysia. Ancient writers notation to the country of Mysia astir Pergamon arsenic Teuthrania, which was perchance besides the sanction of a town, named aft the mythical king Teuthras.

Alexander the Great is said to person studied Xenophon’s “Anabasis” to hole himself earlier embarking to Anatolia connected his run against the Persian king Darius III. In 334 BC the large wide defeated Darius connected the River Granicus. As helium marched done Anatolia, Pergamon surrendered to him, and helium appointed Barsine, the widow of the Persian commander, arsenic administrator.

Following Alexander the Great’s abrupt decease successful Babylon successful 323 BC, his generals and relations (the Diadochi, successors) started to combat betwixt them implicit power of parts of his empire. In 301 BC Lysimachus , king of Thrace, took power of occidental Anatolia (Lydia, Ionia and Phrygia), including Pergamon.

With the large riches helium had accumulated arsenic the spoils of war, Lysimachus began rebuilding past cities specified arsenic Ephesus, and respective caller cities appeared successful Anatolia. He appointed Philetaerus arsenic treasurer. Yet, Lysimachus was precise unpopular and his days were numbered, truthful Philetaerus offered the metropolis fortress and its treasures to Seleucus I Nikator.

Seleucus was the ruler of overmuch of Alexander’s empire successful Asia and laminitis of the Seleucid dynasty. Seleucus defeated and killed Lysimachus and claimed the promised riches of Pergamon successful bid to concern the enlargement of his empire into Europe. Soon after, though, Seleucus was murdered and the Pergamon riches remained successful the hands of Philetaerus.

Philetaerus and the Attalid dynasty

Philetaerus managed to clasp onto Pergamon’s wealthiness and usage it to solidify his powerfulness and influence. He recovered the Attalid dynasty, named aft his begetter Attalos, successful 281 BC. The Attalid dynasty ruled Pergamon until 133 BC. All the Attalid rulers, but Eumenes II, depicted his caput connected their coins successful grant of the dynastic founder.

On the Pergamon acropolis, Philetaerus built the temple of Demeter, the temple of Athena – (patron of the city) and the archetypal palace, and improved the city’s fortifications. He donated funds to different cities and spiritual centers, including Delphi and Delos, frankincense strengthening diplomatic ties.

Philetaerus besides contributed troops, wealth and provisions to combat the Gauls who had invaded the Balkans and Anatolia, and successful 278 BC settled successful the country of cardinal Anatolia which was to go known arsenic Galatia. According to Pausanias the Gauls were fearless warriors and began demanding extortion money, which the Greek cities were forced to pay.

Philetaerus was succeeded by Eumenes I, his nephew and adopted son, who revolted against the Seleucid king Antiochus I and defeated him adjacent Sardis successful 261 BC. He managed to support power of the recently autarkic Pergamon, and support bid with the Seleucids and the Gauls. Eumenes besides continued the gathering enactment connected the Pergamon Acropolis his uncle had begun and encouraged the arts, doctrine and sports.

Eumenes died childless and was succeeded by his 2nd relative and adopted lad Attalus.

Attalus I Soter

Attalus I became known arsenic Soter and was the archetypal Attalid to instrumentality the rubric king successful 238 BC. One of his archetypal decrees banned the outgo of tributes to the Galatians. They attacked Pergamon, causing terrible losses to the Attalus’ forces. However, the adjacent twelvemonth helium defeated both, the Galatians and their Seleucid allies and by 227 BC helium had wholly destroyed the Gallic threat.

His victories made him a fashionable leader passim the Greek world, and helium acceptable up triumph monuments consisting of bronze statues and statue groups astatine respective places, including Delos, Delphi the Sanctuary of Athena Nikephoros connected Pergamon’s acropolis and adjacent to the Parthenon connected the Athens Acropolis.

Ancient Greek geographer and traveler Pausanias wrote that the Delphians claimed that their oracle had prophesied the penetration of the Galatians and their decision by Attalus. For this victory, Attalus built a triumphal monument astatine Pergamon, celebrated for its Dying Gaul, and the liberation from the Gallic “terror” which it represented.

Attalus besides began the gathering of the Pergamon Library, which was to go the 2nd astir important successful the past satellite aft the Library of Alexandria successful Egypt.

Seeing that Rome had go the ascendant powerfulness successful the Mediterranean and was taking implicit Greek territories successful Europe, Attalus turned his attraction to Greece and allied with Rome. At the time, galore Greek states, including Athens, welcomed the interventions by the Pergamon and the Romans against Philip V of Macedon successful the archetypal and 2nd Macedonian Wars.

During these wars Attalus gained the Aegean islands of Andros, Euboea and Aegina which helium made his basal of operations. In 201 BC Philip V invaded Pergamon, but owed to Attalus’ caller fortifications helium was incapable to instrumentality the metropolis and lone satisfied himself by destroying temples and altars extracurricular the walls.

In 200 BC, Attalus was fixed a hero’s invited successful Athens and an Athenian people was named Attalis successful his honor.

Reign of Eumenes

When Attalus died successful 197 BC, his eldest lad and successor Eumenes II continued his father’s policies, and arsenic an state of Rome helium continued to reason Macedonia and the Seleucids nether Antiochus III the Great.

Along with Roman wide Lucius Cornelius Scipio helium defeated Antiochus astatine the Battle of Magnesia, and gained the regions of Phrygia, Lydia, Pisidia, Pamphylia and parts of Lycia.

Eumenes fostered the Attalids’ bully relations with Greece, peculiarly Athens, wherever a colossal statue of him and his member Attalus (later Attalus II) commemorated their triumph successful a chariot contention during the Panathenaic Games successful 178 BC, 1 of respective they won.

Eumenes built the Stoa of Eumenes beneath the northbound broadside of the Athens Acropolis, betwixt the Theater of Dionysus and the tract was aboriginal occupied by the Odeon of Herodes Atticus.

In Pergamon, Eumenes built the Altar of Zeus and undertook extended renovations of the theater. As a publication collector, helium besides expanded the Pergamon Library. There is simply a fable that parchment (also known arsenic pergament and charta pergamena, made from carnal skins) was invented here.

According to Roman writer Pliny the Elder, the Egyptian king Ptolemy V Epiphanes was truthful envious of Pergamon’s increasing library, which was competing with his ain astatine Alexandria, that helium banned the export of papyrus.

The Pergamenes are said to person devised parchment to conscionable their needs of papyrus. It is probable that the accumulation of parchment was refined astatine Pergamon. Since parchment could not beryllium rolled up similar papyrus, the improvement of sheets of treated skins sewn unneurotic arsenic a codex led to the signifier of modern books.

Plutarch wrote that successful the 1st period BC, Mark Antony was accused by Calvisius, 1 of his enemies successful Rome, of taking the Pergamon library’s 200,000 volumes arsenic a acquisition for Cleopatra.

In Eumenes’ past years helium seemingly suffered sick health, and Attalus II co-ruled with him from 160 BC.

Attalus II Philadelphus, Attalus III Philometor

Before sitting connected the Pergamon throne, Attalus II had already proved himself an capable subject commandant and diplomat, having made respective diplomatic visits to Rome and pushing backmost attacks by the Seleucids and Pharnaces I of Pontus. He had besides fought alongside the Romans successful Galatia and Greece during the Third Macedonian War.

With the enactment of the Romans helium helped the pretender Alexander Balas depose the Seleucid king Demetrius I successful 150 BC, and Nicomedes II Epiphanes to overthrow his father, the Bithynian king Prusias II successful 149 BC. He frankincense made allies of 2 of Pergamon’s almighty section enemies.

With the assistance of King Ariarathes IV of Cappadocia, Attalus expanded his territories and recovered the cities of Philadelphia and Attalia. By this clip Pergamon had go the largest and astir almighty kingdom successful Anatolia.

Like his predecessors, Attalus encouraged the arts successful Pergamon and abroad. He besides financed the gathering of the Stoa of Attalus successful the Athens Agora.

Upon his death, helium was succeeded by his nephew Attalus III Philometor, the lad of king Eumenes II and his queen Stratonike. He was alleged due to the fact that of his adjacent narration with his mother.

According to Livy, Attalus III had small involvement successful ruling Pergamon. He was typically the king from 138 until his decease into 133 BC, devoting his clip to studying medicine, botany and gardening. He had nary antheral children oregon heirs of his own, and successful his volition helium near his kingdom to the Roman Republic.

He did truthful successful the content that Rome would instrumentality the kingdom anyhow and this mode would debar bloodshed. Tiberius Gracchus requested that the treasury of Pergamon beryllium opened up to the Roman public, but the Senate refused this.

However, not each Pergamenes accepted Rome’s rule. In 131 BC Aristonicus, who claimed to beryllium Attalus’ member arsenic good arsenic the lad of Eumenes II, led a fashionable uprising with the assistance of the Roman philosopher Blossius. He ruled arsenic Eumenes III. The Romans enactment the revolt down successful 29 BC, and Pergamon was divided among Rome, Pontus, and Cappadocia.

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