The ruins of the ancient city of Pergamum, once the legendary capital of the Kingdom of Pergamum, lie at a distance of 1, 5 kilometers from the modern Turkish city of Berga, located in Izmir province. According to ancient Greek mythology the city was founded by the son of Andromache and Helena (brother of Hector, first husband of Andromache), called Pergamum in honor of the Trojan citadel, which was called Pergamos.

The ancient city was situated on the coast of Asia Minor and was founded in the XII century BC by immigrants from mainland Greece. In 283-133 BC it was the capital of the Kingdom of Pergamum. Peak the city had reached when Eumenes I (263-241 BC) and Eumenes II (197-159 BC). He was one of the largest economic and cultural centers of the Hellenistic world and one of the early centres of Christianity. In the III century the settlement was captured by the tribes of the Goths, and in 713 – destroyed by the Arabs. Later the city was rebuilt by the Byzantines, but nevertheless gradually fell into disrepair and in 1330 was captured by the Turks. Since that time the buildings of the city, the abandoned, gradually decayed, until the earth swallowed them almost completely. Only in the late nineteenth century, archaeologists have unearthed and brought to mankind the ancient architecture and sculpture, enriched the exposition of some of the museums in the world.

Up until the early 20th century, the inhabitants of the city of Berga dug in their yard pieces of marble with traces of sculptural images have been burning for lime. They did not even know that they lived in the ruins of the great city of the Ancient world. About its existence peasants learned only in 1878. In that year, the German engineer Karl Human was invited to Turkey by the Sultan for the construction of bridges and roads. Beginning construction, a German engineer found one of the most interesting monuments of Hellenistic art is the huge altar of Zeus. Under the layer of the earth has survived many large fragments of plates with reliefs. Many valuable finds of Pergamon is now in Berlin at the Pergamon Museum and in the Archaeological Museum of Bergama.

In ancient Pergamos was the third, after Rome and Alexandria largest city. His wealth and fame he was obliged to trade, the presence of the most fertile land that grew olives, grapes, bread, a successful breeding livestock. In the Pergamos was made of gold brocade, fine linen and fragrance oils. The city became famous for its magnificent architecture, a huge library, which rivaled that of Alexandria, the sculpture Museum, scientific schools and the largest performing arts center. Today we can experience the atmosphere of this ancient city and explore its ruins. Some structures have survived pretty well.

The Acropolis was situated on top of a hill, where were found the remains of some private houses, civic buildings and temples. This is world renowned Library, Dating from the second century BC, the reign of Eumena II. She was famous for more than 200 thousand precious parchment scrolls that were stored in it. In size it is second only to the library of Alexandria in Egypt. Constant rivalry between them led to the fact that the ruler of Egypt Ptolemy prohibited the export of papyrus, at the time of the basic material for the production of books. Competitors in Pergamos had to think about alternative material for writing, and they began to use a special way tanned calf skin, called parchment, and for many centuries used for letters, along with papyrus and other materials. Later Pergamum library was destroyed, and numerous manuscripts brought to Alexandria mark Antony. Some time Pergamum library was headed by a scientist Crates Malosky, who is known for being the first to put forward the hypothesis about the location on the spherical surface of the Earth the four landmasses, separated by bands of the oceans. In 168-165) to n.e. he fashioned the globe, which outlined the four landmass, symmetrically located in relation to each other.

On the terrace, overlooking the ruins of the Library are the ruins of the Temple of Trajan, built between 117 and 118 BC. Beautiful Church was built in honor of the Emperor, which was ranked among the congregation. The perimeter columns of the temple are: six in width, and nine in length. The building is designed in the Corinthian style. In it were found the sculpture of the Emperor statue of Trajan and his successor Hadrian, which was completed the construction of the temple.

Archaeologists have discovered the ruins of another Grand temple - the temple of Athena. The front entrance to the Church was thoroughly restored and exhibited in the Berlin Museum, where they can also see the magnificent portico of the temple with exquisite, lightweight double colonnade. This temple was built in the III century BC and originally decorated with bas-reliefs in the Doric style. The perimeter of the temple surrounded by the same number of columns as that of the Temple of Trajan.
Located near the theatre, Dating from the fourth century BC. He is one of the finest monuments of antiquity and the embodiment of boundless power of the human genius. Stage theatre stands, cool down down, divided in the top six, and the bottom seven sectors. At the time, the building had a capacity of 3500 spectators. Its acoustic performance is still excellent, so the theater is still used in the summer for the performances.

Near the theatre is the Temple of Dionysus, built in the II century BC and restored by Caracalla after the fire that destroyed the original facility. In the II century BC to commemorate the victory over the Galatians was erected a large marble altar of Zeus. The ruins of an altar were taken to Berlin and there professionally remodeled. Today they are kept in the Pergamon Museum. The altar used to be a platform of white marble, three walls of which were decorated with marble tape relief. Staircase located on the fourth wall led surrounded by pillars on a platform with a marble altar in the center. Together with the altar moved to Berlin and magnificent frieze that depicts the battle of the gods with the giants. The reliefs of the frieze is considered the best sculptural masterpieces of the Pergamon.

Among other facilities located around the Acropolis hill, attracting the attention of the ancient baths and the gymnasium. The latter is a training and educational institution for noble boys, and was built on different levels, connected by underground passageways and wide stairs.

The monumental ruins of the red Basilica, which is called the Red courtyard, flanked at the base of castle hill, near where the river flows Bergama Caique. The name of the temple is illustrated with a bright red color of its brick walls. Both the underground galleries of the building were used for duct waters of the ancient Selinus. The temple was built in the second century under Hadrian and dedicated to the cult of Serapis. In the period of Byzantine influence, the temple was converted into a Basilica.

To the ruins of Asclepieum, without doubt the most famous temple of Pergamon, leads Sacred road, once surrounded by columns. The building devoted to the worship of God the healer Aesculapius, and existed even before the arrival of the Romans. The building was founded in the fourth century BC and was the Pergamon hospital. The inscription on it read: "In the name of gods, the death of the entry". Patients treated here, healing waters, took baths in bronze basins, to trust a skillful therapists who with fragrant unguents gave their former strength weakened muscles. Patients rested on stone benches arranged in galleries resorts. Under their arches were hidden secret holes through which he could hear the voices of the invisible doctors-psychotherapists. They advised patients to forget about their illnesses and sorrows, not to think about the physical suffering, to suppress the disease by the power of his spirit. Because of this doomed appeared healed and their body cope with the disease. According to written sources, the founder of Pergamon hospital was a citizen named Archias. Special fame as a physician in the second century BC received local physician Galen, famous for his unsurpassed eloquence. "Method of auto-suggestion" at first, he treated only of gladiators, and then everyone who needed help. Patients came to him from all sides, and gradually Asklepion has become a small town with a few churches and a room for medical consultations.