"Bergama - Home of the Pergamum Ruins " a Bergama Travel Page by mikelisaanna

Bergama is Turkish town of about 50,000 people located just inland from the Aegean Sea in western Turkey. It was the capital of a small, independent Greek kingdom, before being taken over by the Romans. It reached its peak during the Roman Empire, when it was known as Pergamum (also spelled Pergamon) and had a population of 150,000. The core of the ancient city was its impressive acropolis, a complex of buildings that sit atop the large hill that looms above the modern town of Bergama. This complex featured an ampitheater that held 10,000 people, a number of temples, and a military fort. It also featured the second-largest library in the Roman world. Unfortunately, Marc Antony gave the library to Cleopatra as a wedding gift, and little remains of that structure. The other structure that is missing from the ruins is the Altar of Zeus, a huge altar with detailed carvings that is now in a museum in Berlin.

Another interesting Roman ruin in Bergama is the Asclepieum, a Roman medical center founded by the physician Galen. These ruins are located at the bottom of the hill, apart from the main ruin area.

In addition to the Roman ruins, there is also an interesting Byzantine basilica ruin (the Red Basilica) located in Bergama at the base of the hill upon which the acropolis sits.