The Windy City

Pergamon is the ancient acropolis near the modern day city of Bergama. The history of Pergamon dates back to the Hellenic period when Greeks still lived in Turkey. Pergamon was named for the wind god, and let me tell you, it was extremely windy. Greeks occupied the city of Bergama until around 1922, when there was an exchange of Greeks living in Turkey back to Greece and Turks living in Greece back to Turkey. The Greek-style homes of the departed have been protected by the Turkish government.

The view from the acropolis.

Back to Pergamon. As with many things in Turkey, Pergamon exchanged hands many times. The Hellenic Greeks once owned the city, and then Alexander the Great stored his treasure there as he conquered Asia Minor. Eventually it was gifted to the Romans by an Anatolian king who was a bit touched in the head. That means, the Romans took it without swinging a sword. Finally, it landed in the hands of the Byzantines when the Roman Empire split. They would be conquered by the Ottomans, who would give way to the modern Turks, under Ataturk, in 1923.

There is a distinct difference between the architecture left by the Greeks and that left by the Romans. The Greek builders were much more diligent, and the walls that remain are solid, because the stone was cut to fit together flush. They didn't use mortar, because the stone used was so heavy. The Roman walls are much weaker. They were built with any stone they could get their hands on. Most of it wasn't cut properly, and they used mortar to keep it all together. They could get away with it, because they covered the walls with slabs of marble. The marble they used was taken by the Byzantines for the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (modern Istanbul).

The solid walls of the Greeks next to the shoddy walls of the Romans.

The Romans did do one thing that the Greeks couldn't; they brought water to Pergamon. There are ruins of the old Roman aqueducts in the surrounding countryside, and there are terracotta pipes inside the acropolis. The Romans even turned the old Greek cisterns into hearths where they cooked soups and boiled water.

Most of the remains of the acropolis are old Greek foundations where Roman buildings once stood. Two of the most important of these being the former temple of Athena and the former temple of Zeus. The main part of Zeus' temple is now in Berlin. The relief sculptures are supposed to be among the finest from the ancient world. If I ever make it to Berlin, I will definitely have to see them. In addition to these foundations, they have excavated store rooms, prison cells, wild animal cages for the gladiators, and even a 14,000 seat amphitheater.

The main grounds of the acropolis.

14,000 seat amphitheater.

There are rooms here where they stored goods, live animals for gladiator games, and prisoners.

Terracotta pipes.

A view of the ruins.

The former site of the temple of Zeus that is now in Berlin.

Our tour guide used to be an English teacher, and his teaching side definitely came out. He explained the history of the city. He also told us a few anecdotes about things that had happened in the acropolis. Our guide is apparently the only guide that lives in the city, so he knows just about every person that works at the acropolis. It was a very fun and informative tour. Any history buff should visit. The city has been an important part of many different empires including the Greek's, Alexander the Great's, the Anatolian’s, the Roman's, and the Byzantine's.