Arte - The Pergamon Altar A Marvel of the Ancient World (2023)

The Altar of Zeus, also called the Pergamon Altar, is a monumental structure built to commemorate the victory of the Pergamon Kingdom over the Galatians. The Altar, referred to as the Throne of Satan in the Book of St. John, was dedicated to the god Zeus in commemoration of the victory of Attalos II over the Galatians during the period of Eumenes II (197 – 159 BC). This structure, which housed the most magnificent examples of sculpture of the time, was never fully completed as King Prusias II attacked Pergamon in 156 BC. In 1864, a German engineer discovered the remains of a lost wonder of the world, the Altar of Pergamon, in the west of the Ottoman Empire. Berlin wanted what was left for its Museum Island. And got it! The replica in the Pergamon Museum continues to impress visitors to this day. In ancient times, the Pergamon Altar was considered a “wonder of the world” before it was almost completely destroyed. Today, a replica of it is on display in a museum in Berlin. The gigantic altar frieze with its expressive fighting gods fascinates numerous visitors from all over the world. The frieze was also lost for a long time until a German architect rediscovered remains in Bergama, Turkey in the 19th century. The documentary examines how the altar came to Berlin and why it was received so enthusiastically that an entire museum was built for it. When you think of the Pergamon Altar, you automatically think of the reconstructed facade in Berlin's Pergamon Museum - with the large staircase and the expressive figures of gods and giants. Only a small part of it is actually old. This is because the ancient wonder of the world was destroyed forever over 1000 years ago. The famous Hellenistic relief images made of marble have been preserved. Nevertheless, the altar is surprisingly present in two places today - in Berlin as an iconic replica, and in Bergama, the ancient Pergamon, as a sorely missed centerpiece of the city's history. In both places, the altar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the castle hill high above the small town of Bergama in western Turkey, only the foundation reminds us of the lost building. How did the reliefs come to be rediscovered by German archaeologists at the end of the 19th century? Why did the relief panels leave their place of origin? For the first time, a film documentary tells this story from two perspectives. The documentary speaks to experts in the Turkish capital Ankara, in Istanbul, Canakkale, Bergama and in Berlin. The film allows an exclusive look behind the scenes The Pergamon Museum is being renovated. The hall with the altar facade will remain a construction site for years to come. Did the reliefs once come to Germany through political pressure and bribery? With art historian Benedicte Savoy (TU/Technische Universitaet Berlin), the documentary sheds light on how the altar became an admired attraction on Berlin's Museum Island and how its absence is viewed in Turkey today. “The Pergamon Altar” traces the eventful history of this masterpiece of antiquity.

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