Pergamum, Turkey, The Acropolis

We had a very interesting visit to the ruins at Pergamum, Turkey. For those of you who are interested in biblical history, I'll give you a little background.
John wrote letters to the seven churches of Asia in the book of Revelation, which are all located in present day Turkey, and all have archeological excavations under state control.  Three of these cities were Ephesus, Smyrna, and Pergamum, which are relatively close together (by modern roads and cars) We visited Ephesus last week, which is the most famous. Ephesus had been warned not to abandon their love of Christ and become complacent and less devoted.  Our cruise ship docked at Izmir, which is the site of ancient Smyrna, and now is the third largest city in Turkey. John had commended the citizens of Smyrna for their faithfulness, and despite material poverty, they showed rich spiritual wealth. 
The next was Pergamum. It was ruled by Lydians and Persians, but fell to Alexander the Great in 334 BC. It then passed on to one of his generals, and eventually fell into Roman hands around 200 BC, which is the era of the current excavations. It became famous for it's library, and advances in science and medicine. Writing on parchment was invented here, which is it's most famous contribution. However, it was also known for it's pagan practices, and a temple to Trajan was built here. John warned the Chrisitians of Pergamum to keep their faith despite the city's pagan influences, and not to fall to moral compromise.  So, again we see that the more things change, the more they stay the same, despite the passage of time! One of John's followers, Antipas, was martyred here in 92 AD.

This is the remains of the Greek Theatre built into the side of the mountain.

The Acropolis of the city is built high on the the top of a mountain, which is now reached by cable car. The city was built all the way to the  bottom of  the mountain, with another colosseum and medical center on the plains below.

Tunnels were used to travel around the side of the mountain top

The cable car to reach the ruins.

The remains of the entrance to the famous library.

 

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