Pergamum
Pergamum, a city on the crossroads of major civilisations mentioned in the Book of Revelations The Red Basilica dedicated to St John, the Apostle in Pergamum We visited the rich historical and archaeological sites of Pergamum, reputed in ancient times for its world-famous library and advanced medical practices including the first reported use of anaesthesia dating back to the fourth century BC. In the 1st century AD, Pergamum (now Bergama, Turkey) was a prominent city in Roman Asia Minor steeped in Egyptian-Greco-Roman religious practices - prompting St John to shortlist it among seven early Churches for chastisement in the Book of Revelations. Later during the reign of Emperor Constantinople, it became a centre of Christendom until it was overrun by the Ottoman Turks in 1336 during the reign of Orhan Gazi, the second Ottoman sultan. World-famous library Established during the Hellenistic period, Pergamum became a prominent centre for learning and culture in antiquity, and its st...