The museum in Bergama, conveniently located in the very centre of the city, has many interesting exhibits in its collection. However, when visiting, it is difficult to resist the impression that something is missing. Of course, this is the famous Great Altar of Zeus from the Pergamon Acropolis, which was taken to Berlin in the 19th century and is now the main attraction of the Pergamon Museum there. One can only imagine the invasion of ancient history lovers into the facility in Bergama if it had this masterpiece. Unfortunately, when visiting this museum, you have to be content with a miniature model and photos from Berlin.
This does not mean that the museum is not worth visiting. On the contrary, it is a perfect complement to a visit to the Acropolis of Pergamon and the Asclepieion, from where most of the exhibits come from.
History of the museum
After finding the high relief of the Altar of Zeus in Pergamon, the first research began in 1865 within the Byzantine Wall in the Acropolis. Between 1878 and 1886, A. Conze and C. Humann turned these works into official excavations. Following the excavations, a modest depot museum was constructed in the garden of the excavation house to safeguard the artefacts unearthed during the day. This depot was located in the area of the Middle City, below the Acropolis.
W. Dörpheld, H. Hepding and P. Schatzwann carried out the excavations in the Acropolis between 1900 and 1913. After a break caused by World War I, when work was resumed in 1927, the number of finds increased significantly. Due to this increase in the number of artefacts from the excavations in Asclepieion as well as from the excavations carried out in the Acropolis, the existing building became inadequate, and it was decided that a new museum building was needed.
In 1924, a number of archaeological artefacts were moved to the building in the city centre, which was used as a Community Center in 1934. They were shown there and opened the way to museology studies. The museum's directorship was given to Osman Bayatlı in 1928. In addition to the archaeological findings, Osman Bayatlı also incorporated ethnographic exhibits that provide insight into the culture and daily life of the region in the recent past.
The order to build the new museum was given in 1932 during a visit to Bergama by Marshal Fevzi Çakmak, who considered the matter urgent. The building was built with Turkish-German cooperation. The area of the former cemetery was chosen as the location, and the design was created by German architects Bruno Meyer and Harold Hanson. The foundations were laid in 1933, and the building was opened to visitors on October 30, 1936, by the mayor of İzmir, Fazlı Güleç.
Space was left on both sides of the building for future expansion of the facility. A separate ethnography room was added in 1978, followed shortly thereafter by an archaeology room. The building is surrounded by a garden where larger exhibits made of stone are displayed.
Museum exhibitions
The largest collection of museum exhibits are the finds from ancient Pergamon. Special attention should be paid to the statues made according to the so-called 'Pergamenian school'. Also, eye-catching is a Roman mosaic depicting Medusa, from the Lower City of Pergamon. A large part of the collection consists of sarcophagi and funerary steles from Hellenistic and Roman times.
The museum has very interesting collections of finds from nearby archaeological sites in Pitane, Gryneion and Myrina, as well as from rescue excavations initiated by the Turkish Ministry of Culture. The museum also has exhibits purchased, received as donations, and obtained from confiscations.
The exhibits described as coming from Yortanlı are items obtained during rescue excavations in the Kaikos Valley, from the ancient Roman spa town of Allianoi. The archaeological site was located 18 km north-east of Bergama, on the road to İvrindi.
In the 2nd century CE, a bath complex, bridges, roads, residential buildings and a nymphaeum were built in Allianoi. The baths were also used during Byzantine times. Craft workshops also came from this period. The city maintained settlement continuity from the 2nd to the 11th century CE.
During the excavations conducted by the Museum in Bergama, approximately 2.5 thousand objects and over 6 thousand coins were unearthed in Allianoi. Archaeological works had a rescue character because in 1994 a plan was created to build the Yortanlı Dam on the Ilya River. This caused protests from many organizations, including UNESCO, but the dam was built and in 2010 the artificial water reservoir flooded the remains of ancient Allianoi. The only souvenir of this health resort are the finds exhibited in the museum, including bronze surgical instruments, dishes, jewelry, and a beautiful statue of a nymph.
The next rescue excavations were organized by the Museum in Bergama right next to the famous Pergamene Acropolis. At its foot, from the southwest, flows the Kestel River, formerly known as Ketios. A dam was also built there in the years 1983-1988, the purpose of which is to irrigate the surrounding farmlands. The Kestel Dam can be clearly seen while riding the cable car to the Acropolis.
Before the construction of the dam, two series of archaeological works were carried out to save exhibits from the basin, which is now filled with an artificial lake. Numerous graves from Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine times, as well as a Roman marble sarcophagus, were discovered in the Kestel Valley.
This area was not only a necropolis, as the pottery workshops located there were already mentioned by Pliny. Their location was chosen due to access to water and clay and to protect Pergamon from the danger of fire - four glass furnaces were found in the valley. The museum's collection includes oil lamps, terracotta figurines, and ceramic bowls from the valley.
The museum also has collections of exhibits from Aeolian cities founded by Greek colonists in Asia Minor, in the central part of the Aegean coast. The northernmost Aeolian city was Pitane, located on the Çandarlı Peninsula. According to a legend, it was originally founded by a tribe of warrior Amazons. According to historical sources, the city belonged to the Delian League in the 5th century BCE, and in 366 BCE the Macedonians besieged it unsuccessfully. During the Kingdom of Pergamon, Pitane served as an important port city.
The first archaeological reconnaissance in Pitane was carried out at the beginning of the 20th century, and the first excavations were led by the father of Turkish archaeology, Osman Hamdi Bey. In the necropolis he found pottery dating from prehistoric to archaic times. In 1960, Ekrem Akurgal began the work there, encouraged by the beautiful oriental-style vases found in Pitane. He recovered many vessels, several of which are exhibited in the Bergama Museum, but most of them were taken to the Istanbul Archaeological Museum and the Izmir Archaeological Museum.
Myrina was the second largest (after Kyme) Aeolian city, located at the mouth of the Titnaios River (now Güzelhisar). Situated on two hills, Myrina was also a port city. Unfortunately, it was destroyed twice by earthquakes. After the first one, it was rebuilt by Emperor Tiberius and renamed Sebastopolis.
In the years 1880-1882, two members of the French School in Athens - E. Pottier and S. Reinach - carried out the first archaeological works in Myrina. They excavated over 4,000 graves, but the specimens they obtained were taken abroad and are exhibited in the Louvre. The part that remained in Turkey is in the Archaeological Museum in Istanbul.
The Bergama museum conducted excavations in Myrina in the 1970s. Their results were exhibits from Archaic and Hellenistic times. The most valuable are terracotta figurines, the production of which was famous in ancient times. They depict women, men, and children as well as deities, including Aphrodite and Eros.
The ethnographic section of the museum presents art and everyday life in the Ottoman era. Its most valuable parts are the antique carpets made according to the local tradition.
Practical information
The Bergama Museum is located in the city centre, on the main street called Cumhuriyet Caddesi. It is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The entrance ticket price in 2023 was 60 TL.
