Pergamon Acropolis
Bergama
- Locality
- Bergama
- Type of place
- BIBLICAL SITE
- Coordinates
- 39.13130° N, 27.18614° E
Identity checked:
History: Pergamon Acropolis
Pergamon rose on a 335-metre hill above the Caicus plain in north-western Anatolia. Under the Attalid kings it became one of the major cultural centres of the Greek world, and its acropolis held the Great Altar, whose sculpted frieze is now displayed in Berlin, a library and a Hellenistic theatre cut into the hillside for about 10,000 spectators. UNESCO inscribed Pergamon on the World Heritage List in 2014.
It is the northernmost of the seven churches addressed in the Book of Revelation. The message to Pergamon commends believers who live "where Satan's throne is" and names Antipas as a faithful witness who was killed there (Revelation 2:13). Many scholars think the "throne" refers to the Great Altar, which resembles a vast seat, though the text itself does not say so.
An interesting detail
Pergamon's theatre, rising about 36 metres up the hillside, is counted among the steepest of all ancient theatres.