Ancient Pergamon Part 2

From the area of the theatre we made our way down past the upper agora and then linked up with the old roadway that ran between the lower town and the acropolis. Looking back up the hill, to our right the cable car was running which would have been an easy option for us as a way down the hill. However, the map of Pergamon showed that the city had spread out down the slopes of the hill and we hoped that the walk would both do us good and allow us to see some more of the ruins. There were also some signs to ‘Building Z’ which sounded intriguing.

Still a bit damp and drizzly

So with the rain slowing and the sun starting to come out, we continued down the old roadway and came to a covered area. This part of the lower city had been excavated in 1973. To the left of the building was a Roman bathhouse (pictured left) and under the covered area (pictured above) was a small auditorium and cult hall dating from 1AD.

A little further down the old roadway we found ‘Building Z’, which turned out to be an absolute gem. The drawing on the right (1) shows the building as it was, sitting above the theatre which was attached to the large upper gymnasium. Below that drawing (2) shows the area as it is now with Building Z covered with a protective roof.

We could see part of the upper gymnasium which looked impressive but before exploring that we had to take a look at what was left of Building Z under its modern weather protection (shown as Bau Z on the plan below).

Visiting Building Z convinced us that we had definitely made the right decision to walk down the hill rather than take the cable-car route. The building, probably a family home, dates back to Hellensitic 2 BC but it was redecorated and renovated in the Roman era. The mosaics were fabulous and in one area (pictured right) you could see where finer, colourful Roman era mosaics had been laid over the top of the earlier, cruder, white mosaic tiles. It was so easy to imagine discussions about the building’s redecoration going on in Roman times and some of the (then) new paintwork was still clear on the walls of the room with the mask mosaic floor.

Reluctantly, we left Building Z and continued through the lower town. At the same level as Building Z and slightly to the east was a temple area dedicated to Hera. This temple is very ruined but it afforded us an excellent view across the site of the huge gymnasium below.

Upper gymnasium (for young men)

The gymnasium was a sort of school where (as one of the information boards put it) ‘the youth of the city would train their bodies and souls.’ Pergamon’s gymnasium is one of the biggest remaining from the Hellenistic era and was built on 3 terraces. The lower gymnasium was where the small boys were taught. Older boys entered the middle gymnasium and young men were taught in the upper gymnasium (sound familiar?).

Upper gymnasium stoa

The upper gymnasium had a large courtyard surrounded by stoas on 3 sides, 2 bath houses (with the washbasins of one being very well preserved) and a 1000 seat theatre (Odeon).  The middle-level gymnasium, which is less well preserved, contained a small temple and altar, dedicated to Herakles and Hermes, and a running track.

Upper gymnasium bath-house

Sanctuary to Demeter

On a similar level to the gymnasium, on a man-made terrace, we found the large sanctuary to Demeter. The sanctuary was in use from around 280 BC until late Roman times, with renovations and additions being made to it throughout this time. There is relatively little left to see of the sanctuary now, though the altar can be clearly seen, as can the location of some of the stoas and also the entranceway (on the east side of the sanctuary).

Having seen the sanctuary to Demeter, we stumbled around the side of the gymnasium and, it seemed, ended up outside the city walls or, perhaps, just outside the lower gymnasium, it was not clear which.

Working our way downhill, back again on a clearly defined ancient(?) roadway, we came to the lower agora (market place) and some houses. And then we were at the bottom of the site, and just above the upper reaches of modern Bergama, close to the Red Hall. It had been a really interesting walk around the ancient city, taking in some important public buildings as well as the domestic sites. However, it was now time for lunch and a bit of a sit down before exploring the Red Hall and the more distant Asklepion of Pergamon.

Ayvalik, Turkey