Atlas from Space: Altar of Zeus from Pergamum

The Altar of Zeus (about 90 ft. square and 35 ft. high) is one of the best examples of Hellenistic art extant. Once a prominent feature of the acropolis of Pergamum, the altar was dismantled and transported to Berlin, where it was reassembled as the main attraction of the Pergamon Museum. (I have replaced the museum walls and ceiling with sky to recapture the feeling of the altar's original location.

The altar's resemblance in shape to a gigantic armchair has led some scholars to speculate that it is what Revelation 3:13 calls "the throne of Satan." Another candidate for "Satan's throne" is the position of Pergamum as the capital of the Roman province of Asia and the source of all official persecution of Christians. A third possibility is the Aesklepion, whose god Asklepios's association with serpents would provide a ready correspondence with "that ancient serpent, the Devil, or Satan" (Rev. 12:9; 20:2).

The lack of a temple to Zeus on the acropolis suggests to some that the altar had more political importance than cultic: it was a commemoration of the great victories Attalus I won against the Gauls in 233 and 228 BCE. The adjacent temenos of Athena Nikephoros (Bearer of Victory), to which the Altar of Zeus is aligned, seems to have a similar significance.

Want to go deeper?

The following are recommended to help you look deeper into the history and archaeology of Pergamum.

Recommended for purchase:

Steve Singleton – Overcoming: A Study Guide for the Book of Revelation (DeeperStudy.com, 2004) – Provides a brief historical background of Pergamum and the other six cities of the Apocalypse, as well as a thorough introduction and brief commentary on the Apocalypse. Get digital edition and save almost 50%!

Steve Singleton – Seven Letters to the Church (2006) – E-book drawn from Overcoming (see above), with additional material. Illustrated commentary on the Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia, as found in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. Includes history, culture, and archaeology of the churches, plus a summary of relevance for today as well as verse by verse comments. Illustrated with drawings & color photos, including satellite images of Ephesus, Pergamum, and Laodicea.

Claude E. Fant & Mitchell G. Reddish – A Guide to Biblical Sites in Greece and Turkey (Oxford, 2003). – Nearly two-thirds of the New Testament, including all the letters of Paul, most of Acts, and the Book of Revelation, are set in either Turkey or Greece. This book serves as a historical, biblical, and archaeological guide to most of these biblical sites. View excerpt

CD-ROM: Turkey: Pictorial Library of Bible Lands (2004) – Series is most complete collection of high resolution Bible Land images available... perfect for worship, class study, or personal Bible study! Highest quality available. This CD features more than 700 high-resolution digitized images, including: Cities of Paul's Journeys (Antioch on the Orontes, Seleucia, Tarsus, Pisidian Antioch, Lystra and Derbe, Colossae, Hierapolis, Assos, Alexandria Troas, and Miletus); seven churches of Revelation: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea; plus Istanbul, Cappadocia, Priene, and Troy.

Helmut Koester – Pergamon: Citadel of the Gods: Archaeological Record, Literary Description, & Religious Development – Harvard Theological Studies (Trinity Press International, 1998). – Includes comprehensive descriptions of the ancient city's famous temples and sanctuaries by German archaeologists who excavated them. In addition, leading European and American scholars in the fields of classics and New Testament studies provide interpretive essays. Richly illustrated with photographs, drawings, maps, and plans. The definitive study in English on this important Hellenistic and Roman city.

Frank Sear – Roman Theatres: An Architectural Study. (Oxford, 2006). – Sear discusses Pergamum's Hellenistic theater on pp. 346-347.

Ekrem Akurgal – Ancient Civilizations and Ruins of Turkey: From Prehistoric Times Until the End of the Roman Empire (Haset Kirabevi, 1985). | cheaper, earlier edition – Akurgal was the archaeologist in charge of the excavation of the original Smyrna at Bayrakli.

Online resources:

Christine Eslik, PhD – Recent and current excavations

Mary M. Honan – Guide to the Pergamon Museum (Berlin: George Reimer, 1904). – Includes lengthy description of the "War of the gods against the giants" depicted in the frieze surrounding the Altar of Zeus.

Lynn A. Levine – Tour of Pergamum from Frommer's Turkey, 4th ed. (2006):177-181.