DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.5253#0598
562 THE HELLENISTIC AGE OF SCULPTURE.
ground, the craggy summit of the ancient acropolis, shining like silver, and
which, commanding the surrounding country, once guarded the brilliant capital
of a great kingdom. To this impregnable fortress, Alexander's proud general
Lysimachos, when hard pressed by rivals, committed a vast treasure, amount-
ing, it is said, to fourteen million dollars, to the keeping of a faithful servant,
Philetairos. But Lysimachos, influenced by his young and ambitious wife,
having killed his own son and heir, incurred the just indignation of many
of his followers. Among these, Philetairos was so outspoken in the condemna-
tion of his master, that the new queen, and with her Lysimachos, turned upon
him in bitter enmity. Driven in self-defence to take possession of fortress and
treasure, in 283 B.C. he declared himself independent, and thus founded a
dynasty which was to become one of the most attractive of the age. Its first
member was Eumenes I., nephew and successor to Philetairos, but of whom
almost nothing is known. He was succeeded by his greater cousin Attalos I.,
to whose wise policy and sound statesmanship was virtually due the establish-
ment of the kingdom of Pergamon. He lived at the time when the rival
brothers Seleucos Callinicos, and Antiochos, fought over the vast empire left
by their father, a large part of which comprised Asia Minor. The wealthy but
single-handed Attalos, as recent researches have shown, now allied himself
with Seleucos, his powerful neighbor, the rightful king, against Antiochos, in
whose service were enlisted those wild barbarians from the far North, the law-
less Galatians.IIlS While Seleucos was in a distant part of his realm, Attalos
I., about 241 B.C., won signal victories over the joint forces of Antiochos and
the Galatians, and became ruler over much of Asia Minor, to which his rights
were later disputed by Seleucos Soter, successor to Seleucos Callinicos. His-
tory had recorded only the fact of Attalos' struggle against the Galatians; but
the additional light obtained from inscriptions found at Pergamon now informs
us of this far more significant conflict with allied Greeks and barbarians. At-
talos (241 B.C.) took the title of king, and, after ruling until 197 B.C., left his
flourishing kingdom to his son Eumenes II., completing what may be called
the first period of Pergamon's history.
Eumenes II., who reigned from 197 to 159 B.C., seems to have brought the
Pergamon kingdom up to its highest pinnacle of glory. But under his brother
and successor, Attalos II., its power began to decline before the growing
strength of Rome, which had slowly but surely worked itself into the political
affairs of Pergamon. The unfortunate Attalos III., the last ruler of this glori-
ous line, left his kingdom in 131 B.C., by will, to the Romans, who put to death
its last scion, Aristonicos, in a Roman prison. From the time of its foundation
by the obscure Philetairos, the character of this Pergamon house compared
most favorably with that of the other reigning houses of the day. Public and
private virtue were marked features of its rulers. Elsewhere we find brother
turned against brother, and father, even, against son : here the members of the
ground, the craggy summit of the ancient acropolis, shining like silver, and
which, commanding the surrounding country, once guarded the brilliant capital
of a great kingdom. To this impregnable fortress, Alexander's proud general
Lysimachos, when hard pressed by rivals, committed a vast treasure, amount-
ing, it is said, to fourteen million dollars, to the keeping of a faithful servant,
Philetairos. But Lysimachos, influenced by his young and ambitious wife,
having killed his own son and heir, incurred the just indignation of many
of his followers. Among these, Philetairos was so outspoken in the condemna-
tion of his master, that the new queen, and with her Lysimachos, turned upon
him in bitter enmity. Driven in self-defence to take possession of fortress and
treasure, in 283 B.C. he declared himself independent, and thus founded a
dynasty which was to become one of the most attractive of the age. Its first
member was Eumenes I., nephew and successor to Philetairos, but of whom
almost nothing is known. He was succeeded by his greater cousin Attalos I.,
to whose wise policy and sound statesmanship was virtually due the establish-
ment of the kingdom of Pergamon. He lived at the time when the rival
brothers Seleucos Callinicos, and Antiochos, fought over the vast empire left
by their father, a large part of which comprised Asia Minor. The wealthy but
single-handed Attalos, as recent researches have shown, now allied himself
with Seleucos, his powerful neighbor, the rightful king, against Antiochos, in
whose service were enlisted those wild barbarians from the far North, the law-
less Galatians.IIlS While Seleucos was in a distant part of his realm, Attalos
I., about 241 B.C., won signal victories over the joint forces of Antiochos and
the Galatians, and became ruler over much of Asia Minor, to which his rights
were later disputed by Seleucos Soter, successor to Seleucos Callinicos. His-
tory had recorded only the fact of Attalos' struggle against the Galatians; but
the additional light obtained from inscriptions found at Pergamon now informs
us of this far more significant conflict with allied Greeks and barbarians. At-
talos (241 B.C.) took the title of king, and, after ruling until 197 B.C., left his
flourishing kingdom to his son Eumenes II., completing what may be called
the first period of Pergamon's history.
Eumenes II., who reigned from 197 to 159 B.C., seems to have brought the
Pergamon kingdom up to its highest pinnacle of glory. But under his brother
and successor, Attalos II., its power began to decline before the growing
strength of Rome, which had slowly but surely worked itself into the political
affairs of Pergamon. The unfortunate Attalos III., the last ruler of this glori-
ous line, left his kingdom in 131 B.C., by will, to the Romans, who put to death
its last scion, Aristonicos, in a Roman prison. From the time of its foundation
by the obscure Philetairos, the character of this Pergamon house compared
most favorably with that of the other reigning houses of the day. Public and
private virtue were marked features of its rulers. Elsewhere we find brother
turned against brother, and father, even, against son : here the members of the