Places, which are worth seeing

Visit Bergama, or rather Pergamon, nothing is easy due to the large variety of monuments. However, if we planned the trip well and left Ayvalik early in the morning, we will visit everything in one day and in the evening we should be in Izmir.

The Acropolis is open daily (except Saturdays and Sundays in low season) in hours. 8.30 – 12.00, 13.00 – 17.30 (summer to 18.30), introduction: 4 USD, students: 1 USD. It is situated on a hill that is very visible from the city. If we want to get there on foot (5 km), we have to pass the Red Basilica and follow the road signs or it is best to go "azimuth". If anyone wants to climb a bit, he would come up the hill much faster. The locals say, that a path marked with blue points leads to the top. It is to start at the exit of Sevket Lane Cad. (left after the Basilica) on the road leading to the Acropolis. You can also get there by taxi too 6 USD (which pays off in a few people), to then walk down to the city.

After passing through the ticket offices, we can see the remains of the walls surrounding the Acropolis in front of us, from the time of Eumenes I.. Then we go through something, what was once a gate, to go through the next one, better preserved this time, erected by Eumenes II, called propylone – from a shape similar to the Egyptian pylons (rectangular, the towers tapering to the top, flanking the portal). Immediately on the left we see the ruins of the Temple of Athena (4th c. p.n.e.), the oldest in Pergamon, and on the right the foundations of numerous buildings that once belonged to the Attalid Palace. There was once a bronze sculptural group in the courtyard of the temple of Athena, so-called. A group of Gauls, sponsored by Attalos I.. To our time, of course, the group did not survive, we know only two elements of this composition from the Roman copies: Gaul committing suicide and the Dying Gaul.

Going further, trajaneum cannot be overlooked, that is, the temple of Trajan built in the 2nd century. in the Corinthian style, which can be seen from the preserved columns. This monumental structure has been partially reconstructed by German archaeologists, which may not appeal to more sensitive tourists, because the set elements are too new (of course only refurbished). The temple had six columns at the ends and nine on the sides of the base placed on a high podium. Two statues of Trajan and his successor Hadrian (it was he who completed the building) they stood at the back of the temple, and their found heads are in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. The temple stood at the center of the Temenos, that is, the sacred circle – complex (60×80 m), which consisted of the temple, other sacred buildings and the colonnade surrounding them. The remains of the latter can be seen on the 5-meter high, thick wall in front of the main facade of the temple.

The infamous library stood between the Trajaneum and the Temple of Athena, erected by Eumenes II and dedicated to Athena – goddess of wisdom. According to sources, at its peak it was over 200 thousand. volumes. It means, that they must in fact have been stored elsewhere, because the remains of the building we see would only contain a fraction of this collection. The works were written on parchment – specially treated skins of animals, and because it was invented right here, in many languages ​​it is named after the city, from which it comes. Apparently, scientists wanted to become independent of papyrus supplies from Egypt (the Library of Alexandria there was a competitor of the Pergamon Library). The fate of thousands of volumes is not entirely clear. Perhaps Mark Antony took them to Alexandria after that, as promised to Cleopatra, that it would supplement the collections of the local library (for the fire consumed her).

On the right side we can see the theater leaning against the hill. It is one of the most interesting in Asia Minor, or anyway, the steepest one for sure. It was established in the 3rd century. p.n.e., later it was rebuilt by Eumenes II, and then by the Romans. It has approx. 80 rows of seats and is incredibly narrow, according to the shape of the hill. It was intended for 10 thousand. viewers, who could admire not only the actors' performance, but also a beautiful view of the valley. Each time the scene was reassembled (wooden), so as not to spoil the view and to allow access to the terrace located at the northern end (long on 250 m, originally limited by marble walls – handrails) temple of Dionysus. The original building was erected here in the 2nd century. p.n.e., but the current one is the result of the reconstruction carried out in the 3rd century.

Walking through the terrace to the other end, and then left uphill, we will come to the foundations of the famous Pergamon altar, the reconstructed part of which stands in the Berlin museum. It was discovered by the German Carl Humann, w 1878 r. thus commencing the first excavations in the former Pergamon. Altar from 1. half. 2nd century. p.n.e. (dedicated to Zeus and Athena) was built on the basis of 36×34 m, possibly as a monument in honor of Attalus I's victory over the Galatians, a tribe of Celtic origin. He stood in the center of the Temenos, measuring 69×78 m and was a beautiful example of Hellenistic art. Under the portico, running around the temple standing on a high podium, was located long on 120 m and tall at 2,3 m bas-relief depicting Gigantomachia, that is, the mythical struggle between the gods of Olympus and the giants, a race of the mighty, terrible giants. Only part of this wonderful work (the most numerous pantheon of Greek gods, ever found) we can see at the museum in Berlin.

Going down the path, we will go past the numerous ruins of the so-called. middle city, located between the Acropolis and the city in the valley. There are visible ruins of three gymnasiums, bathhouse, numerous residential houses, and most of all the Temple of Demeter, created in the time of Filetajros, initially in the Doric style. Subsequent interventions made it a real architectural cocktail, because capitals, originally Doric, converted to Ionic. adding to them Corinthian elements.