PERGAME

Less visited Ephesus, Pergame (Bergama), the rival of Alexandria, custody of the ancient Greek city it was some beautiful remains.

Pergamum, who made ​​an alliance with Rome, became a flourishing city in the first century BC Promoted capital of the Roman province of Asia, it was adorned with prestigious buildings. Today they constitute benchmarks in Hellenistic
architecture. Both sites are a must see Pergamum: the Asclepeion and the Acropolis atop a rocky outcrop wide (280 m).

     The Asclepeion

Located in the lower town, was built in the fourth century BC This treatment center dedicated to Asclepius, the Greek god healer, was renowned in Roman times, such as Galen, a precursor of anatomy, was acting talents. The Emperors Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius and Caracalla came there a cure! There, the design was modern medicine, the body and mind were cared. Dreams were analyzed. The medical center was destroyed by an earthquake in the third century AD The center included baths, a medical school, a library and a theater.

After borrowing Via Teca, a cobbled lane lined with marble fountains and other monuments you will find on your right a theater in the ruins. You will then pass through a courtyard before seeing the temple of Asclepius. If it does have a few walls, was once a two-story building decorated with mosaics. Dating from the second century AD, the cylindrical building wore a dome. Next door is the Temple of Telesphore. Around the fountain, you can enjoy a stoa (that is to say, a portico) with pretty Ionic columns.

The Asclepeion can be visited every day from 8:30 to 17:30. Admission: € 6. The site is adjacent to a military site Asclepeion. It is forbidden to take a picture (or just point his camera in that direction).

     The Acropolis

Is the diadem of Pergamum. Perched atop a cliff, overlooking the city with majesty. From up there, the view is amazing. Unlike the Acropolis dedicated to religion, Pergamon Acropolis was the center of the cultural life of the city. And the main buildings are a vast theater and a library.

The temenos (esplanade) Temple of Athena offers a beautiful view of the scene below. Going up the sacred way, you'll pass the ruins of a royal palace, a cistern and old warehouses. Can you reach the temple of Trajan which some Corinthian columns are still standing. Next to the temple once stood the rich library of Pergamum, which with 200,000 books, was the shadow of Alexandria! Alas, it is no longer in ruins today ...

The huge theater that made ​​the reputation of the place is close by. Its 78 hillside terraces are very impressive. We almost giddy ... 36 m between the last row and the orchestra! The scene is a narrow rectangle of stone on the precipice. The theater could seat 10,000 people.

Then join the site of the altar of Zeus. The original is housed in Berlin's Pergamon Museum (Prussia bought the building in 1878, the vizier of Constantinople) and there are only a few stones on the site. It was a remarkable building, perhaps the most beautiful altar ever built. U-shaped, it was built during the reign of Eumenes II to 180, to celebrate the victory of Ephesus on Galatians. In white marble, he had an outstanding frieze of 120 m long, called Gigantomachie because it included a battle between gods and giants.


The Acropolis visit between 8:30 and 17:30. Admission: € 6. You can walk from the old town and follow the marked path to the Acropolis (1 hour walk). Otherwise you can take a taxi (the site is 6 km from the old city).

Allow about 1 hour for the site Asclepeion and 2 hours for the Acropolis.