Editing Pergamon (section)

==Pergamon in myth==
[[File:Pergamon Altar - Telephus frieze - panel 49+50.jpg|thumb|right|Founding of Pergamon: depiction from the Telephos frieze of the Pergamon altar]]
Pergamon, which traced its founding back to [[Telephus]], the son of [[Heracles]], is not mentioned in Greek myth or epic of the archaic or classical periods. However, in the [[Epic Cycle]] the Telephus myth is already connected with the area of Mysia. Searching for his mother, Telephus visits Mysia on the advice of an oracle. There he becomes [[Teuthras]]' son-in-law or foster-son and inherits his kingdom of [[Teuthrania]], encompassing the area between Pergamon and the mouth of the Caicus. Telephus refuses to participate in the [[Trojan War]], but his son [[Eurypylus (son of Telephus)|Eurypylus]] fights on the side of the [[Troy|Trojans]]. This material was dealt with in a number of tragedies, such as [[Aeschylus]]' ''Mysi'', [[Sophocles]]' ''Aleadae'', and [[Euripides]]' ''Telephus'' and ''Auge'', but Pergamon does not seem to have played any role in any of them.<ref>Johannes Schmidt: ''Telephos''. In: [[Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher]] (Hrsg.): ''[[Ausführliches Lexikon der griechischen und römischen Mythologie]]''. Band 5, Leipzig 1924, Sp.&nbsp;274–308 ([http://www.archive.org/stream/ausfhrlichesle05rosc#page/n142/mode/1up Digitalisat]).</ref> The adaptation of the myth is not entirely smooth.

Thus, on the one hand, Eurypylus who must have been part of the dynastic line as a result of the appropriation of the myth, was not mentioned in the hymn sung in honour of Telephus in the Asclepieion.  Otherwise he does not seem to have been paid any heed.<ref>Pausanias [http://www.theoi.com/Text/Pausanias3B.html 3.26.10].</ref> But the Pergamenes made offerings to Telephus<ref>Pausanias [http://www.theoi.com/Text/Pausanias5A.html 5.13.3].</ref> and the grave of his mother [[Auge]] was located in Pergamon near the Caicus.<ref>Pausanias [http://www.theoi.com/Text/Pausanias8A.html 8.4.9].</ref> Pergamon thus entered the Trojan epic cycle, with its ruler said to have been an [[Arcadia (ancient region)|Arcadia]]n who had fought with Telephus against [[Agamemnon]] when he landed at the Caicus, mistook it for Troy and began to ravage the land.

On the other hand, the story was linked to the foundation of the city with another myth – that of [[Pergamus]], the [[eponymous]] hero of the city. He also belonged to the broader cycle of myths related to the Trojan War as the grandson of [[Achilles]] through his father [[Neoptolemus]] and of [[Eetion]] of [[Cilician Thebe|Thebe]] through his mother [[Andromache]] (concubine to Neoptolemus after the death of [[Hector]] of [[Troy]]).<ref>Pausanias [http://www.theoi.com/Text/Pausanias3B.html 3.20.8].</ref> With his mother, he was said to have fled to Mysia where he killed the ruler of Teuthrania and gave the city his own name. There he built a [[heroon]] for his mother after her death.<ref>Pausanias [http://www.theoi.com/Text/Pausanias1A.html 1.11.2].</ref> In a less heroic version, Grynos the son of Eurypylus named a city after him in gratitude for a favour.<ref>[[Maurus Servius Honoratius|Servius]], ''Commentarius in [[Vergil]]ii [[Eclogae|eclogas]]'' 6.72.</ref> These mythic connections seem to be late and are not attested before the 3rd century BC. Pergamus' role remained subordinate, although he did receive some cult worship. Beginning in the Roman period, his image appears on civic coinage and he is said to have had a heroon in the city.<ref>Elizabeth Kosmetatou: ''The Attalids of Pergamon''. in Andrew Erskine, ''A Companion to the Hellenistic World''. Blackwell Pub., Oxford – Malden (MA) 2003, {{ISBN|0-631-22537-4}} p. 168.</ref> Even so, he provided a further, deliberately crafted link to the world of [[Homer]]ic epic. Mithridates VI was celebrated in the city as a new Pergamus.<ref>Christopher Prestige Jones: ''New heroes in antiquity: from Achilles to Antinoos''. Harvard University Press, Cambridge (MA) 2010, {{ISBN|0-674-03586-0}}, p. 36.</ref>

However, for the Attalids, it was apparently the genealogical connection to Heracles that was crucial, since all the other Hellenistic dynasties had long established such links:<ref>[[Ulrich Huttner]]: ''Die politische Rolle der Heraklesgestalt im griechischen Herrschertum''. F. Steiner, Stuttgart 1997, {{ISBN|3-515-07039-7}}, pp.&nbsp;175–190.</ref> the [[Ptolemies]] derived themselves directly from Heracles,<ref>[[Ulrich Huttner]]: ''Die politische Rolle der Heraklesgestalt im griechischen Herrschertum''. F. Steiner, Stuttgart 1997, {{ISBN|3-515-07039-7}}, pp.&nbsp;124-128.</ref> the [[Antigonids]] inserted Heracles into their family tree in the reign of [[Philip V of Macedon|Philip V]] at the end of the 3rd century BC at the latest,<ref>Ulrich Huttner: ''Die politische Rolle der Heraklesgestalt im griechischen Herrschertum.'' p.&nbsp;164.</ref> and the [[Seleucids]] claimed descent from [[Apollo]].<ref>Ulrich Huttner: ''Die politische Rolle der Heraklesgestalt im griechischen Herrschertum.'' p. 240.</ref> All of these claims derive their significance from [[Alexander the Great]], who claimed descent from Heracles, through his father [[Philip II of Macedon|Philip II]].<ref>Ulrich Huttner: ''Die politische Rolle der Heraklesgestalt im griechischen Herrschertum.'' pp.&nbsp;86–124.</ref>

In their constructive adaptation of the myth, the Attalids stood within the tradition of the other, older Hellenistic dynasties, who legitimized themselves through divine descent, and sought to increase their own prestige.<ref>Sabine Müller, "Genealogie und Legitimation in den hellenistischen Reichen," in Hartwin Brandt, Katrin Köhler, Ulrike Siewert (ed.), ''Inter- und intragenerationelle Auseinandersetzungen sowie die Bedeutung von Verwandtschaft bei Amtswechseln''. University of Bamberg Press, Bamberg 2009, {{ISBN|978-3-923507-59-7}}, pp.&nbsp;61–82; [[Ulrich-Walter Gans]]: ''Attalidische Herrscherbildnisse. Studien zur hellenistischen Porträtplastik Pergamons''. Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 2006, {{ISBN|3-447-05430-1}}, pp.&nbsp;108.</ref> The inhabitants of Pergamon enthusiastically followed their lead and took to calling themselves ''Telephidai'' ({{lang|grc|Τηλεφίδαι}}) and referring to Pergamon itself in poetic registers as the 'Telephian city' ({{lang|grc|Τήλεφις πόλις}}).