Editing Pergamon (section)

===Hellenistic period===
[[File:EmenesICoin.JPG|thumb|upright=0.75|Image of [[Philetaerus]] on a coin of [[Eumenes I]]]]
[[File:Pergamon188BCE.jpg|thumb|The ''[[Kingdom of Pergamon]]'', shown at its greatest extent in 188&nbsp;BC]]
[[File:AtaloPergamo.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Over-life-size portrait head, probably of [[Attalus I]]]]
[[Lysimachus]], King of [[Thrace]], took possession in 301&nbsp;BC, and the town was enlarged by his lieutenant [[Philetaerus]]. In 281 BC the kingdom of Thrace collapsed and Philetaerus became an independent ruler, founding the [[Attalid dynasty]]. His family ruled Pergamon from 281 until 133 BC: Philetaerus 281–263; [[Eumenes I]] 263–241; [[Attalus I]] 241–197; [[Eumenes II]] 197–159; [[Attalus II]] 159–138; and [[Attalus III]] 138–133. Philetaerus controlled only Pergamon and its immediate environs, but the city acquired much new territory under Eumenes I. In particular, after the Battle of [[Sardis]] in 261 BC against [[Antiochus I]], Eumenes was able to appropriate the area down to the coast and some way inland. Despite this increase of his domain, Eumenes did not take a royal title. In 238 his successor Attalus I defeated the [[Galatians (people)|Galatians]], to whom Pergamon had paid tribute under Eumenes I.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Catholic|inline=1|wstitle=Pergamus}}</ref> Attalus thereafter declared himself leader of an entirely independent Pergamene kingdom.

The Attalids became some of the most loyal supporters of [[Roman Republic|Rome]] in the Hellenistic world. Attalus I allied with Rome against [[Philip V of Macedon]], during the [[First Macedonian War|first]] and [[Second Macedonian War|second]] [[Macedonian Wars]]. In the [[Roman–Seleucid War]], Pergamon joined the Romans' coalition against [[Antiochus III]], and was rewarded with almost all the former [[Seleucid]] domains in [[Asia Minor]] at the [[Peace of Apamea]] in 188 BC. The kingdom's territories thus reached their greatest extent. Eumenes II supported Rome again in the [[Third Macedonian War]], but the Romans heard rumours of his conducting secret negotiations with their opponent [[Perseus of Macedon]]. On this basis, Rome denied any reward to Pergamon and attempted to replace Eumenes with the future Attalus II, who refused to cooperate. These incidents cost Pergamon its privileged status with the Romans, who granted it no further territory.

Nevertheless, under the brothers Eumenes II and Attalus II, Pergamon reached its apex and was rebuilt on a monumental scale. It had retained the same dimensions for a long interval after its founding by Philetaerus, covering c. {{convert|21|ha}}. After 188&nbsp;BC a massive new city wall was constructed, {{convert|4|km}} long and enclosing an area of approximately {{convert|90|ha}}.<ref name=errington/> The Attalids' goal was to create a second [[Athens]], a cultural and artistic hub of the Greek world. They remodeled their Acropolis after the [[Acropolis]] in Athens, and the [[Library of Pergamum|Library of Pergamon]] was renowned as second only to the [[Library of Alexandria]]. Pergamon was also a flourishing center for the production of [[parchment]], whose name is a corruption of ''pergamenos'', meaning "from Pergamon". Despite this etymology, parchment had been used in Asia Minor long before the rise of the city; the story that it was invented by the Pergamenes, to circumvent the [[Ptolemies]]' monopoly on [[papyrus]] production, is not true.<ref>P. Green, ''Alexander to Actium. The historical evolution of the Hellenistic age'', p. 168.</ref> In fact, parchment had been in use in Anatolia and elsewhere long before the rise of Pergamon.<ref name=Green1990>{{cite book|last=Green|first=Peter|title=Alexander to Actium: the historical evolution of the Hellenistic age|url=https://archive.org/details/alexandertoactiu0000gree|url-access=registration|place=Berkeley|publisher=University of California Press|year=1990|isbn=0520056116|page=[https://archive.org/details/alexandertoactiu0000gree/page/168 168]}}</ref><ref name=Metzger2005>{{Cite book|last=Metzger|first=Bruce|title=The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration|year=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|edition=4th|pages=8}}</ref>

Surviving epigraphic documents show how the Attalids supported the growth of towns by sending in skilled artisans and by remitting taxes. They allowed the Greek cities in their domains to maintain nominal independence, and sent gifts to Greek cultural sites like [[Delphi]], [[Delos]], and Athens. The two brothers Eumenes II and Attalus II displayed the most distinctive trait of the Attalids: a pronounced sense of family without rivalry or intrigue - rare amongst the Hellenistic dynasties.<ref>Elizabeth Kosmetatou, "The Attalids of Pergamon" in Andrew Erskine, ''Companion to the Hellenistic World''. Blackwell Publishing, 2003. pp.159-174.</ref> Attalus II bore the epithet 'Philadelphos', 'he who loves his brother', and his relations with Eumenes II were compared to the harmony between the mythical brothers [[Cleobis and Biton]].<ref>[[Polybius]] 22.20.</ref>

When Attalus III died without an heir in 133&nbsp;BC, he bequeathed the whole of Pergamon to Rome. This was challenged by [[Eumenes III|Aristonicus]], who claimed to be Attalus III's brother and led an [[Aristonicus uprising|armed uprising]] against the Romans with the help of [[Blossius]], a famous [[Stoicism|Stoic philosopher]]. For a period he enjoyed success, defeating and killing the Roman consul [[Publius Licinius Crassus Dives Mucianus|P. Licinius Crassus]] and his army, but he was defeated in 129 BC by the consul [[Marcus Perperna (consul 130 BC)|M. Perperna]]. The Attalid kingdom was divided between Rome, [[Pontus (kingdom)|Pontus]], and [[Cappadocia (kingdom)|Cappadocia]], with the bulk of its territory becoming the new [[Roman province]] of [[Asia (Roman province)|Asia]]. The city itself was declared free and served briefly as capital of the province, before this distinction was transferred to [[Ephesus]].