Bergama Museum

BERGAMA MUSEUM

The first archaeological research and excavations in Bergama (Pergamon) began in 1865, following the discovery of the high-relief sculptures of the Altar of Zeus within the Byzantine walls of the Acropolis. Between 1878 and 1886, excavations led by C. Humann and A. Conze were transformed into official archaeological campaigns. In order to protect the unearthed artifacts, a small storage museum was established in the garden of the excavation house.

Between 1900 and 1913, excavations on the Acropolis were carried out by W. Dörpfeld, H. Hepding, and P. Schatzmann. In 1924, some of the archaeological finds were transferred to a building in the city center—later used as the People’s House (Halkevi) in 1934—where they were put on display. Appointed as museum director in 1928, Osman Bayatlı expanded the collection by adding ethnographic materials, thereby transforming the institution into an Archaeology and Ethnography Museum.

Excavations interrupted by World War I resumed in 1927 under the direction of T. Wiegand. As archaeological activities expanded to include the Asklepion, the growing number of finds rendered the existing museum building insufficient. During his visit to Bergama in 1932, Marshal Fevzi Çakmak took a keen interest in the issue and ordered the construction of a new museum.

Within the framework of Turkish–German cooperation, a new museum project was designed by architects Bruno Meyer and Harold Hanson. At the request of İzmir Governor Kazım Dirik, the foundation stone was laid in 1933 on the site of a former cemetery. The architectural plan of the building was inspired by the Altar of Zeus. In 1934, during a visit to Bergama to observe a military exercise, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk toured the Asklepion and inspected the construction of the museum building. The Bergama Museum, completed on 30 October 1936, was officially opened to visitors by İzmir Governor Fazlı Güleç.

The majority of artifacts displayed in the archaeological halls originate from excavations conducted at the Acropolis, Asklepion, Red Basilica (Kızılavlu), and Musalla Cemetery. Additional exhibits come from nearby ancient cities such as Pitane (Çandarlı), Myrina, and Gryneion (Yeni Şakran), as well as more recent excavations at Kestel and the Yortanlı Dam reservoir area. Finds from urban rescue and survey excavations carried out by the Museum Directorate in the Ertuğrul, Turabey, and İnkılap neighborhoods are also displayed.

Among the museum’s notable artifacts are Yortanlı pottery from the Bronze Age, spouted vessels, locally produced Megarian bowls, appliqué ceramics, Pergamene sigillata, oil lamps, and cistophoric coins, first minted in Pergamon. Sculptural works from the Pergamon School of Sculpture, the Bust of Diodoros Pasparos and relief panels from his funerary monument, a statue of Roman Emperor Hadrian, the iconic Nike statue of Pergamon, sarcophagi, ostothecae, and figurative stelae reflecting ancient burial traditions are also featured. Other significant works include the Nymph statue from the rescue excavations at Paşa Ilıcası (Allianoi), an Archaic kouros statue, a Medusa-decorated mosaic, and Hellenistic terracotta figurines.

The Ethnography Section of the museum presents a rich collection reflecting the traditional social life and cultural values of Bergama and its surroundings. These include regional costumes of the Yörük, Türkmen, and Çepni tribes, bridal and everyday garments from Bergama, as well as carpets, kilims, and saddlebags from Yuntdağı, Kozak, and Yağcıbedir, all important carpet-producing regions. The personal clothing worn by Tuzcu Efe, one of Bergama’s renowned local leaders, during the Turkish War of Independence, also constitutes a significant group of exhibits.

BERGAMA ACROPOLIS

Despite repeated invasions and destruction throughout its history, Pergamon was continuously inhabited due to its strategic location and never disappeared from the historical stage. Archaeological excavations indicate that the earliest settlement dates back to 2000 BCE or even earlier. Written sources reveal that the region first came under Persian rule and later passed into the hands of Philetairos, the commander of the fortress, following the division of Alexander the Great’s empire among his successors.

With the kingdom established by Philetairos, Pergamon entered its most brilliant era, lasting approximately 150 years during the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE. Among the rulers of the Attalid Dynasty, Eumenes II (2nd century BCE) stands out as the period when Pergamon’s School of Sculpture shaped Hellenistic art with its distinctive style. The city also developed a unique architectural tradition adapted to its steep terrain, characterized by broad courtyards surrounded by colonnaded galleries, which later served as a model for other cities.

These courtyards, used in both public buildings and residential architecture, were constructed on large terraces carved into the hillside. Pergamon maintained its importance during the Roman Period, continuing its urban development. The 1st-century Roman author and philosopher Pliny the Elder described the city as “the most famous and distinguished city of Asia Minor.”

The city developed as an upper and lower city, featuring a grid-planned urban layout with palaces, monumental temples, and social and cultural buildings. The Upper City, home to kings and military commanders, contained royal palaces, arsenals, and major temples. The Lower City, designed for public use, included structures such as the Temple of Demeter, Temple of Hera, Gymnasium, and the Lower Agora, reflecting a more modest architectural approach.

In the Upper City, the Temple of Trajan (2nd century CE), built for Roman emperors Trajan and Hadrian, demonstrates exceptional engineering skill in supporting a monumental structure on steep terrain using massive substructures and vaults. Immediately south of the temple’s lower terrace stood the famous Library of Pergamon, which housed approximately 200,000 volumes during the Hellenistic Period. Closely associated with the Temple of Athena, the library gained prominence with the invention of parchment, developed in Pergamon as a new writing material, allowing it to rival the Library of Alexandria.

The Temple of Athena (4th century BCE), the earliest temple of Pergamon, was dedicated to the city’s patron goddess. Distinguished by its orientation, monumental entrance, votive statues in the temenos, and marble balustrades decorated with reliefs of Galatian weapons taken as war trophies, the temple remains a striking monument.

On the western slope of the Acropolis lies the Pergamon Theatre, built during the Hellenistic Period, with a seating capacity of approximately 10,000 spectators and a removable wooden stage structure. To the north of the theatre terrace stands the Temple of Dionysus, architecturally and symbolically linked to the theatre. Southwest of the theatre, on a lower terrace, Eumenes II constructed the Altar of Zeus, dedicated to Zeus and Athena following his decisive victory over the Galatians. The reliefs on the altar’s friezes symbolically depict the conflict as a struggle between the Olympian gods (Pergamenes) and Giants (Galatians). The dramatic and emotional expression in these reliefs represents one of the most significant contributions of the Pergamene style to ancient sculpture.

BERGAMA ASKLEPION

The Asklepion of Pergamon was one of the most important healing centers of antiquity, comparable to those of Epidaurus and Kos. According to Pausanias, the first Temple of Asklepios in Pergamon was established in the early 4th century BCE. Dedicated to Asklepios, the god of healing, the sanctuary was founded in a secluded valley on the slopes of Mount Geyikli, near sacred springs believed to possess curative powers.

According to legend, Arkhias, a respected figure and Pergamon’s first high official (prytaneis), was injured while hunting in Greece and was cured at the Asklepion of Epidaurus. In gratitude, he introduced the cult of Asklepios to Pergamon.

Prehistoric finds uncovered during excavations indicate that the site was used prior to the 4th century BCE, though it gained prominence during that period. The sanctuary reached its final architectural form during the reign of Emperor Hadrian (117–138 CE) and became especially renowned in the Roman Period for its treatment methods and famous physicians such as Galen.

During the Roman Period, the sanctuary was connected to the city of Pergamon by the Via Tecta (Sacred Way), a vaulted road approximately 1 km long. It began at a monumental arched gate near the Roman theatre of the lower city, known locally as the “Viran Gate.” Patients were examined here by priest-physicians (Asklepiades); the terminally ill and pregnant women were not permitted entry. According to tradition, an inscription above the gate read:
“Death is forbidden to enter the Asklepion, sacred to all gods.”

The Via Tecta protected visitors from adverse weather and extended to the sanctuary’s monumental entrance (propylon). Its final section, redesigned during Hadrian’s reign, took the form of a colonnaded street lined with shops selling votive offerings. On the southern side of this street stands a monumental tomb dating to the reign of Emperor Augustus (27 BCE–14 CE), likely belonging to a distinguished individual or hero. The Sacred Way ended at a monumental entrance supported by four Corinthian columns.

The Asklepion’s large courtyard, measuring approximately 110 × 130 meters, is surrounded on three sides by galleries. The northern gallery is the best preserved and has been restored with re-erected columns. As part of the healing process, patients walked barefoot on the earthen floor.

At the northwestern end of the northern gallery lies a 3,500-seat theatre, carved directly into the bedrock. To the east stands a square building that functioned as an imperial hall and library; its central niche once housed a statue of Emperor Hadrian, now displayed in the Bergama Museum. The western gallery, built during the reign of Eumenes II, includes a large marble-clad hall at its southern end, believed to have served as a banquet hall.

Our knowledge of medical treatments practiced at the Asklepion comes from the work Hieroi Logoi by the orator Aelius Aristides. Treatments included dream incubation, suggestion therapy, hot, cold, and mud baths, herbal remedies, dietary regimens, massages with oils and ointments, bloodletting, intestinal cleansing, sun therapy, and, when necessary, surgical procedures.

BERGAMA RED BASILICA (KIZILAVLU)

During the Roman Period, the ancient city expanded westward across the Bakırçay Plain, significantly enlarging its boundaries. Rapid population growth—estimated at around 150,000 inhabitants—was the main driving force behind this expansion. In this newly developed area, a monumental temple was constructed in the 2nd century CE during the reign of Emperor Hadrian. Owing to its brick construction, the structure became known locally as the Red Basilica (Kızılavlu).

The temple was dedicated to the Egyptian deities Serapis, Isis, and Harpocrates, reflecting the Roman interest in Egyptian cults. Architecturally, the divine triad was expressed through a tripartite layout consisting of a main temple flanked by two towers. The complex was built diagonally over the Selinos River, which flowed beneath the forecourt.

The monument features a grand entrance and, behind it, a massive gateway once clad in bronze. At the rear of the main cella stood two tall podiums that supported cult statues. On either side of the main temple were symmetrical towers with colonnaded courtyards, each containing two pools used for ritual purification and worship. The colonnades surrounding the courtyards were supported by caryatid columns in human form, reflecting strong influences from Egyptian art.

In the 5th century CE, the interior of the main temple was remodeled with two rows of columns dividing it into three naves, and an apse was added to the eastern end, transforming the structure into one of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor, among the earliest Christian churches in Anatolia.