A wealthy and influential ancient Greek city in Aeolis, Pergamon or Pergamum is also known by its modern Greek version, Pergamos (Πέργαμoς). It is situated northwest of the present-day Turkish city of Bergama and on a point on the north side of the river Caicus (present-day Bakırçay), 26 kilometers (16 miles) from the Aegean Sea's contemporary coastline.From 281 until 133 BC, it served as the capital of the Kingdom of Pergamon during the Hellenistic era. The Attalid dynasty turned it into one of the most important Greek cultural hubs. Numerous remnants of its monuments, particularly the Pergamon Altar's magnificence, are still visible.The New Testament Book of Revelation mentions seven churches in Asia, the northernmost of which was Pergamon.The city's acropolis is situated on a 335-meter (1,100-foot) high andesite mesa. Three naturally occurring terraces on the south side of this mesa offer a path to the summit, while the north, west, and east sides of the mesa drop off dramatically. The Cetius River (present-day Kestelçay) runs by to the east of the acropolis, and the Selinus River (present-day Bergamaçay) flows through the city to the west.

Located 16 miles from the Aegean Sea on a tall, remote hill on the northern side of the wide valley of the Caicus (present-day Bakır) River, Pergamum was an ancient Greek city in Mysia. The present-day town of Bergama, located in the Turkish province of İzmir, occupies the location. Although Pergamum has been around since at least the fifth century bce, it wasn't until the Hellenistic Era (323–30 bce), when the Attalid dynasty called it home, that it gained significance. The town itself inhabited the lower slopes of the hill, while their castle and fortification stood on the top. The city was located on the plain below under the Roman Empire.Turkey has an abundance of Greco-Roman ruins, but none can be so romantically placed as ancient Pergamum in modern-day Bergama.Once home to one of the ancient world's most important libraries (which rivaled Alexandria's library in prominence) and home to the famed medical school run by Galen, Pergamum's remaining temple remnants now preside dramatically across a hilltop.

The two other parts of Pergamum are the lower city and the beautiful Asclepion health center, which provided a range of services like restorative mud baths. To navigate the uneven ruins, wear comfortable shoes.The city is probably best-known today as one of the seven churches of Asia in the biblical Book of Revelation 2:12-17 where it is referenced as the site "where Satan has his throne" and "where Satan lives" as Pergamon raised several significant structures, monuments, and temples to the Greek gods, the most famous being the Altar of Zeus now in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. It is also well-known as the birthplace of the Greek physician Galen (l. 129-216), as the site of one of the greatest libraries of antiquity, and for its production (though not invention) of parchment.Pergamon flourished under the reign of Eumenes II and his brother Attalus II. Eumenes II continued his father's alliance with Rome, helping to defeat Antiochus III (r. 223-187 BCE) at the Battle of Magnesia in 190 BCE, which led to the conclusion of the Roman-Seleucid Wars with the Treaty of Apamea of 188 BCE, forcing the Seleucids to withdraw from Anatolia. Eumenes II established the Library of Pergamon (situated north of the city's acropolis), rivaling the great Library of Alexandria with over 200,000 books.

As a reputable cultural hub, Pergamon attracted scholars and artists from all over the Mediterranean region, who added to the library's collection along with affluent city dwellers. Egyptian papyrus gained importance as a result of the library's extensive book copying, but Pergamon began producing parchment since Alexandria was not particularly interested in supplying resources to a competing library.Contrary to common perception, the city did not create paper; rather, it produced it in higher quantities than other places in Anatolia. The English word parchment really originates from the Latin pergamenum, which refers to Pergamon.

The renowned Altar of Zeus, also called the Pergamon Altar today, was also commissioned by Eumenes II. It features a spectacular high-relief frieze that portrays the Gigantomachy, or the conflict between the Olympian gods and the Titans. At the same time as the Altar of Zeus was being built, he renovated the Pergamon acropolis, built the Temple of Dionysus, or renovated the Temple of Athena. He also built and enhanced the hillside theater, which could accommodate 10,000 people.Soma in the east and Aliaga in the south are the nearest train stations to Pergamon. Soma train station is where the trains that run between Izmir and Bandirma/Eskisehir/Ankara stop. The station is around 3 miles from the Kinik bus terminal in Istiklal Square, where minibuses leave for Bergama every 30 minutes.