Turkey/Greece Trip - May 25, 2025 - Pergamon
Having just left the island where John received the Revelation from Christ, we headed to another of the 7 churches of the Revelation, Pergamon.
Pergamon is a spectacular site because of the massive monuments perched at the top of a mesa that can be seen from miles around. Also because most of the structures are Greek and would have been in place long before the Revelation was given to John. It was the capital of the kingdoms of Pergamon, part of the Attalid dynasty, from 281 to 133 BC when Attalis III died and bequeathed the whole thing to Rome.
The Greek theater has the distinction of being the steepest theater in existence. The altar to Zeus - famously re erected in the Berlin Museum - still has its foundations on site. The temple of Dionysus at the foot of the theater was built in the 3rd c BC and the temple of Athena at the very top is from the 4th c BC. The sanctuary of Demeter also dates back to the 4th c BC. The original Roman road and its stone paving are visible winding down the Mesa past other agora’s and Gymnasiums on lower levels and it once went all the way to the Asclepion 2 miles south of the acropolis.
From Pergamon we had a beautiful but rainy drive along the Aegean coast line up to the ancient city of Assos where we are staying the night. We’ve opted for early night in and seeing the Assos acropolis tomorrow when it’s dry. Our hotel is right on the ancient harbor of Assos in a quaint little town with narrow cobbled streets - hopefully some pictures of that tomorrow when it’s not raining.
God Bless! PB, Margery and Jacob
The acropolis at Pergamon
