Pergamum, Turkey Week 115 June 13th 2013
                       
Dur!

Would you believe we think this is the first country we've encountered anything other than "Stop" on a stop sign.

There are probably others. But we've become conditioned.

 
Houses on the Anatolia coast have a pre-occupation with solar hot water and satellite dishes.

Subtly different to Greece where solar electric panels in farms were prevalent.

 
Driving in Turkey is interesting.

This queue was to let some oversize vehicles coming the other way park and let us past.

The row of buses in front had a police escort and we'd let them pass a few km earlier.

 
Onions.

Good quality fruit and veggies available.

 
Modern Bergama was called Pergamum, or Pergamon.

Being perverse we went to the Red Basilica first.

Closed.

It used to be the Serapis Temple (Egyptian Gods) around 200 - 100 BC but became a Basilica in Byzantine times.

The two domed buildings (either side) are described as symmetrical and contain images of the Egyptian Gods!

The river Selinus flows underneath (196m tunnels).

 
So we turned our attention to the Akropolis on top of the hill.
 
We drove past the road to the cable car.

Straight to the top.

 
An interesting negotiation with car parker which resulted in us being somewhere between a car and a caravan.

Of course.

 
The first parts of the Akropolis were built around 5 - 4th century BC. Before the Pergonene Kingdom.

Made bigger in 282 - 263 BC by Philetairos.

Bigger again by Eumenes II in 197 - 157 BC including the Altar of Zeus.

And the Romans extended on to the plain. A city of 150,000 people.

This is the outer wall.

 
This arch led to sacred precinct of Athena.

We were a bit baffled. Entering from the other side it led nowhere.

 
The Sanctuary of Athena.

The colonnade around large square. Temple of Zeus in the middle (off picture to left).

There's also the first mention of a library.

 
Below the sanctuary is a theatre.

And the Temple of Dionysius below.
 
But just a minute.

Our keen eyes spot a mechanism for joining stonework.

Must have had a few things fall down early so new techniques to strengthen introduced!

A long time (SE Asia we think) since we saw similar.

 
Looking up at the sanctuary and Temple of Zeus.
 
Then down the steps to the theatre.
 
Then back up to the Temple.

The theatre steps were just this side of the tall square bit (technical term for something we didn't recognise).

 
The lengths they went to in creating a flat area on a hill.
 
The columns have been reconstructed from bits after they fell down.

The statuary has been removed to museums.

 
Just a minute.

Something important to see ...

 
Now where is it?
 
Ah. There it is?
 
Water was supplied to the town by the 2nd century AD  aquaduct.

The akropolis was earlier supplied by a terracotta pipeline.

45 km, 240,000 sections of pipe, pressure to opposite the citadel then a lead pipeline capable of pressure of 20 atmospheres (lots).

 
To get water to the cistern.
 
A beehive kiln.

Not sure what for as we couldn't find the exit.

 
Pergamom, Turkey Week 115 June 14th 2013
 
Gateway
CommentsHome

 
 
 
Sorry, comments closed.