The Altar of Zeus

The Altar of Zeus, also known as the Pergamon Altar, was built in the Greek city of Pergamon during the second century BC by king Eumenes II. This structure is one of the most successful examples of  Greek Hellenistic sculpture because of its lively and exciting scenarios, as opposed to the more calm and harmonious style of more classical Greek sculptures.

The Altar is comprised of  a main staircase on the west side of the structure that was 20 meters wide, and the overall structure was 35 meters wide and 33 meters deep. The stairs lead up to a colonnaded terrace that wraps around both sides of the structure. The base of the altar is 20 feet high with 9-foot high friezes which depict the Greek Gigantomachy; which is the Greek myth of the battle between the gods and the titans, or old gods. Each side of the frieze depicts different scenes of gods fighting giants, and even shows specific gods and giants which can be identified. The upper inner courtyard also houed the fire altar and the telephus reliefs. 

There were also theories of what the altar was built for specifically. One theory suggests whether or not the altar was related to any the the military victories of Eumenes II. These, however, were disproven by analysis of the friezes and other artifacts which were actually related to military victories of the time. Most of the theories relate the altar to a victory of Pergamon. No theory has been accepted to be fact as of this date; what is known, however, is that it was an altar and not a temple and could have been related to the temple of Athena in the Acropolis.

            There was interaction with the altar many times throughout the years leading up to its preservation by many different peoples. It wasn’t until the Prussian engineer Carl Humann advocated its preservation that the Altar of Zeus was disassembled and reassembled in the Berlin Museum. Parts of the marble and stone were being quarried by the local people to use in their homes. Humann wanted to find a way to prevent this from happening. With the help of other people and the German government, he was able to bring the Hellenistic masterpiece over to Berlin. The altar was also known by some as the Seat of Satan due to the use of it by Adolf Hitler. His chief architect Albert Speer used it as inspiration for the design of Hitler’s parade ground. It was an incredibly successful idea that heightened the popularity of Hitler.

Unfortunately the entire altar is not visible in the Berlin museum, only the front of it is. This is still, however, a grand example of Hellenistic sculpture to see. 

Works Cited:

"Altar of Zeus at Pergamon (c.166-156 BCE)." Pergamon Altar of Zeus. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.  

Bilsel, Can. Antiquity on Display: Regimes of the Authentic in Berlin's Pergamon Museum. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2012. Print.

Ridgway, Brunilde Sismondo. Fourth-century Styles in Greek Sculpture. Madison, WI: U of Wisconsin, 1997. Print.