History and Importance
In the second century B.C., King Eumenes II built a famous library on the eastern side of the Athena temple in Pergamum. Parts of the library are still standing today, although the southern wall is gone. This library, along with the Library of Alexandria in Egypt, was one of the two greatest libraries in the world at the time.
Famous Collections
The historian Dio Cassius wrote that the Pergamum library had many valuable and high-quality books. Another historian, Plutarch, mentioned that the library had about 200,000 volumes (books). The people of Pergamum are also credited with the invention of parchment, a special type of animal skin used to write books. The word parchment comes from the name of the city, Pergamum Guided Tours Turkey.
The Theater in Pergamum
Description and Size
The theater in Pergamum was built on the mountainside, offering a view of the Caicus Valley. It had 10,000 seats and was built in the third century B.C. It was later renovated during the Roman period and was still in use when the Book of Revelation was written The Altar of Zeus.
Nearby Structures
In front of the theater, there was an 800-foot-long terrace, which was like a street. This street led to the nearby temple of Dionysus, the god of wine and theater. In ancient times, religion was a big part of life, influencing people’s actions and thoughts every day. The apostle Paul noted in his sermon on Mars Hill in Athens that the people were very religious, based on all the altars and objects of worship he saw (Acts 17:22-23).
