PERGAMON (city in Mysia and Aeolis)
Ancient city of Ionia in modern-day Turkey and UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Kind of place
- City
- Region
- Mysia and Aeolis
- Where
- 39.12° N, 27.18° E
Eumenes embellished the city and raised it to its present magnificence. Strabo 13.4.2 The city was enriched with votive offerings and a library by Eumenes. Athenaeus 1.4 A temple dedicated to the Mother of the gods stands on the nearby mountain. Strabo 13.2.6
Described in the sources
Pergamum is within seventy stadia of the region of Teuthrania. Pliny, Nat. Hist. 5.33 ¶1 +1 Pergamum is described as a city of note that held a kind of supremacy among its peers. Pliny, Nat. Hist. 5.33 ¶1 +1 Pergamum is located near the river Caïcus, which flows past the city through the plain of Caicus. Strabo 13.1.69 +1 Galenus was a native of this city. Athenaeus 1.2 The river Selinus flows through the city. Pliny, Nat. Hist. 5.33 ¶1 A temple of Asclepius is located in this city. Pausanias 3.26.10 Dionysius Atticus was a fellow-citizen of this city. Strabo 13.4.3 Apollodorus the rhetorician was a native of this city. Strabo 13.4.3 Pergamum is situated near Elaea, Pitane, and Atarneus. Strabo 13.1.69 Melting snow rills pour down floods in this sun-lit land. Euripides, The Trojan Women 1060-1070
Gods and worship
Hymns sung in the local temple begin with Telephus. Pausanias 3.26.10 The name of Eurypylus is deliberately omitted from hymns in the local temple. Pausanias 3.26.10
Stories and history
Eumenes ornamented the Nicephorium with a grove. Strabo 13.4.2 The Romans made the country a province and named it Asia. Strabo 13.4.2 The city of Pergamum owns the naval arsenal located at Elsaea. Strabo 13.1.67 The Romans received the country as an inheritance from the last king. Strabo 13.4.2 Phileterus caused the place to revolt after a disagreement with Arsinoë. Strabo 13.4.1 Laomedon refused to pay the wages owed to the gods for the fortification. Apollodorus 2.5.9 It served as the treasure-hold of Lysimachus, containing nine thousand talents. Strabo 13.4.1 The city of Pergamos is burning and sinking to the ground before the enemy spear. Euripides, The Trojan Women 1287-1301 Phileterus of Tyana was entrusted with the custody of the strong-hold and its treasure. Strabo 13.4.1 Apollo and Poseidon built the city's fortifications while disguised as men in exchange for wages. Apollodorus 2.5.9