Sanctuary of Demeter (Pergamum)

The sanctuary of Demeter at Pergamon is a sanctuary for the fertility goddess Demeter located on the southern slope of the Burgberg, which had great significance especially in the Hellenistic period, but also under Roman rule in Pergamon. The sanctuary itself is old, its use can be traced back to the 4th century BC. For the new foundation carried out under Philetairos and his brother Eumenes, the old city wall was demolished. The first clues to its existence were discovered in 1875 by Carl Humann during the investigation of the fortification walls of the Burgberg and were quickly identified on the basis of inscription fragments. In 1898 excavations began under the direction of Wilhelm Dörpfeld, which initially lasted until 1912. Subsequent investigations and architectural recordings were then carried out regularly, the results being presented monographically in 1981.

Location and Design

The sanctuary is situated on the southern slope of the Burgberg at an altitude of about 197 meters above sea level, just below the Attalic city wall and directly northwest adjoining the complex of the gymnasium.

A terrace of roughly 110 × 50 meters was created by rock work and earth embankments, which had to be stabilized by massive retaining walls. The sanctuary could be reached both from the upper town and from the south on narrow paths. These accesses were not further expanded even in Roman times. A natural rock formation of andesite in the southwestern area, which was incorporated into the sanctuary in later building phases, is presumed to be the cultic origin of the site.

One entered the sanctuary from the east through a propylaea that opened onto a courtyard surrounded on three sides by colonnades. The propylaea was of Doric order, but had, instead of Doric, so‑called leaf‑crown capitals; the column shafts were only fluted in the upper part, at the shaft base the flutes were only prepared, not executed. The north and south halls were about 85 metres long, displayed the same mixture of orders as the gate building and were added to the sanctuary with the gate only under Attalos I.

In the eastern courtyard area and at the level of the altar, more than ten seating steps are set before the northern colonnade for the participants in the mysteries of Demeter. About 800 mystai could be accommodated here. The corresponding celebrations must have been expanded by the constructions of Attalos I and his wife Apollonis, because the foundation inscription now names, besides Demeter, also her daughter Kore. The expected expansion of the cult with an emphasis on chthonic aspects could have served the accessible lower floor of the two‑aisled south hall. In the sanctuary a series of smaller Roman‑period altars are preserved, among them an altar from around AD 200 that – if the addition to the inscription is correct – was dedicated to the “unknown gods”, θεοὶ ἄγνωστοι.

Temple of Demeter

In the centre of the western temenos area the Temple of Demeter rose. It was founded partly directly on natural rock, partly the surrounding area had to be built up to this level. The building from the time of Philetairos was an Ionic antetemple of native andesite, 14.10 × 7.95 metres in plan, in the foundation. The substructure is largely preserved, the stylobate with the standing traces of the column bases and the base of the northern antapylon are in situ. A frieze decorated with bucrania, garlands and sacrificial bowls of Proconnesian marble adorned the temple’s entablature. In the time of Antoninus Pius a prytanis named Claudius Seilianus Aisimus endowed the temple with a pronaos with four Corinthian columns, which was wider than the Hellenistic temple and did not form a unified building block with it.

The Great Altar

In the centre of the temenos is the great altar. It stands with its longitudinal side axially 9.50 metres from the pronaos of the temple. The east side lies at the height of the terminating wall of the seating stair and formed a spatial separation between the eastern “public” area for visitors and the more densely built western temple area. The substructure, 8.62 × 4.50 metres, consisting of two surrounding steps, is made of andesite blocks. The upper step, facing the temple and 0.75 metres wider, served as a standing platform for the priests. The superstructure placed on it, also of andesite, measures 7.21 × 2.61 metres and was 0.92 metres high. Smooth andesite slabs with a concave depression are reconstructed for the top. Volute‑shaped terminating acroteria were placed at the four corners of the superstructure. A partially reconstructed inscription on the orthostat slabs of the east side names Philetairos and his brother Eumenes, who had dedicated the altar to their mother Boa the goddess. In Roman times parts of the altar were clad with ornamented marble slabs. The Hellenistic altar was rebuilt after the excavations were completed and partly reconstructed.