The Temple of Athena

The Temple of Athena  built in the 3rd century B.C., is just above the theater. The famous Library of Pergamon  which contained 200.000 books, was situated north of the square.

Steps of Temple of Athena by guideali

 As it is already known, Antonius had made a present of this library to Cleopatra. The remains near the library, are the remains of houses belonging to the Hellenistic period. When we turn back and go up the stairs, the remains of the palaces of Eumenes the II. and Attales the II. are seen. Towards the inside of the Acropolis, there are houses, military barracks and, at the farthest end, there are military warehouses called "Arsenals". The building that has been restored at present, is the Temple of Trajan. Emperer Hadrian (117-138) had this temple constructed in the Corinthian order and it was placed upon a terrace with dimensions of 68 x 58 m. Attempts have been continuing since the year 1976 to erect this temple which has 6 x 9 columns and a peripteros plan.

The temple columns and architrave pieces are still in Berlin. The fact that the city's most important temple is the Temple of Athena, as it is in Izmir, Milet, Eriythrai, Foca and Assos as well, reflects the religious tradition of Western Anatolia. Eumenes II had a two-storey covered walkway built along the length of the eastern and northern sides in the Hellenistic style, to commemorate his successful war against the Seleucids, Celts and Macedonians.

Library

Adjacent to the sacred site of the Temple of Athena, is remains of the famous Pergamum library. The library, whose entrance used to be on the top floor of the gallery, dates back to the reign of Eumenes II and contains a magnificent reading room measuring 13.53 x 15.35 metres. Equipped with wooden shelves, the library also contained a 3.5m high statue of Athena, which is now in the Berlin Museum. During the reign of Eumenes II, the holding capacity of the library multiplied immensely, and its only equal in the world was the Library of Alexander.