Pergamon

Our next stop was Pergamon, the site of a famous hospital in antiquity and the capital of the Pergamene Empire after the death of Alexander the Great. The last king of Pergamon willed his city to the Romans in 133 BC, figuring (correctly) that they would eventually take it anyway, and it became the first Roman province in Asia.

The Asclepion, or the shrine to Asclepius, the god of healing, was a major site in antiquity. It was kind of a cross between a hospital and a spa: people went there for the baths, massages, fresh air, and medical treatment.		The theater at the Asclepion served not only as a theater but also as a lecture hall for the medical students studying there.

The Library at Pergamon had a collection second only to Alexandria and the medical texts were kept here, in the Asclepion library.		The Sacred Fountain is still flowing. I can't say that I felt better after drinking from it, but at least I didn't get sick on the trip.
		Patients were told to walk through this tunnel while the physicians watched and evaluated them from above. One therapy used was "fright therapy" in which things like snakes would be unexpectedly dropped on the patients. Early scream therapy?
There are dozens of votive offerings there attesting to the healing powers of the shrine.

Because the library at Pergamon began to rival the one in Alexandria, the Egyptians stopped exporting papyrus to Pergamon. The Pergamenes responded by inventing a way to write on goatskin and parchment (named for Pergamon) was born.		Although this is a museum, the locals continue to lead their own lives and bring their livestock to graze.

The Citadel and main city of Pergamon is situated on the acropolis, which is VERY high. The easiest way to reach it is through cable lifts.		The acropolis has a commanding view over the valley that houses the modern city of Bergama.
The city walls are massive even though the city was built on a high, steep hill.
		The arched colonnades have been restored.

Putting together the pieces of leftover marble and rock is tedious. Many pieces are missing because they were repurposed over the years.		The partly reconstructed Temple of Trajan.

The Theater in Pergamon is the steepest known from antiquity.		From the theater you can look down on the temple of Dionysus (patron god of the theater).

On the hill beside the theater is the site of the Pergamon Altar. This elaborate structure has been reconstructed in Berlin.		On the way out we saw a owl, Athene noctua, sitting on a rock. This owl was sacred to Athena, which made it particularly appropriate. Later it flew to a tree and stared directly at one of our birders, which moved her a great deal.