The Great Altar Of Pergamon

ART / HISTORY

THE GREAT ALTAR OF PERGAMON

ENGLISH – TURKISH

| The Great Altar of Pargamon Büyük Sunak | ISBN: 9786055940-54-6 | Dimension, 21 cm x 15 cm | Page, 120 | Text, Archaeologist, Dr. Umut M. Doğan | Desing, Illustration, Vahit Akça | Photograph, Yaşar Yılmaz | English Translation, Deniz Genceolu | Paper, glossy 170 gr |

One of the most magnificent structures of the acropolis of Pergamon during the Hellenistic Period, the Pergamon Altar is a monument that has preserved its importance from its foundation up to today. The structure, located in the middle of a wide plain, approximately 25 m below the southern side of the sanctuary of Athena and to its parallel, was built at a point that was easily seen by those approaching the city from the plain. Its magnificent appearance with its carefully implemented architecture and spectacular reliefs, must have attracted the attention immediately.

The victory of the Pergamene army against that of the Galatians, who condemned the Anatolian peoples to fear, massacres and misery for decades with their ruthless attacks, was crowned with this monument. Built by the order of King Eumenes II (197-159 BC), this monument was a symbol declaring the power of the Kingdom of Pergamon and its victory over the Galatians to the entire ancient world.

The main façade of the U-shaped altar faced the plain i.e., the west. Sitting on top of a stepped stylobate on its four sides, the altar was architecturally composed of three levels including a pedestal, a frieze with reliefs and a colonnaded main body rising above it. The structure was constructed with marble brought from the Proconnesus (Marmara) and Lesbos (Midilli) islands except for the chambers in its foundation, where soft tuff and dark-coloured hard andesite were used. The altar rose above a 5.92 m high podium. The crepis on which the altar measuring 36.80 m in the east-west direction and 34.20 in the north-south direction stood, consisted of five steps on the sides and at the rear front. The stairs on the front side (west side) consisted of 28 steps reaching a height of 20 m while the monument itself was 10 m high.

          There was a large frieze above the plain podium. The Great Frieze surrounding the monument’s entire façade including the sides facing the stairs leading to the inner courtyard, was decorated with a group of reliefs, which are considered to be among the Hellenistic world’s most magnificent artworks. These reliefs depicted the victory of the Olympian gods over the Giants (also called Gigantes), one of the most popular stories of Aegean mythology. Undoubtedly, on these magnificent reliefs decorating the Great Altar, the Olympian gods symbolized the people of Pergamon, while the Giants symbolized the Galatians who submitted to them. Zeus, the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek mythology, was the protagonist of the story depicted on the reliefs as he was the leader of the Olympian gods who brought the Giants to their knees. This is exactly the reason why the Pergamon Altar was referred to as the “Altar of Zeus” in many sources throughout history.

Tags: pergamon, pergamon civizilization, civizilitaion, zeus