When we think of the great libraries of antiquity, one name that almost definitely comes to mind is that of Alexandria (rather than Pergamon). Egypt’s gem was a city synonymous with intellectual grandeur, long regarded as the undisputed queen of ancient learning. Yet, in the shadow of Alexandria’s global reputation as the epicenter of ancient wisdom, another city contested fiercely for the title of the world’s leading center of academic power—a library whose history is impressive but still relatively unknown.
This was the Library of Pergamon, a center of scholarship in Anatolia. While Alexandria is often remembered as the sole keeper of ancient wisdom, the kings of Pergamon were determined to build a scholarly rival that could challenge Alexandria’s dominance and foster new, even more advanced, schools of thought.
The rivalry between Alexandria and Pergamon
The very idea of the Library of Pergamon was beyond what most could have imagined. Founded by Eumenes II between 197 and 159 BC by the Attalid dynasty of the Greek state of Pergamon, it was built with a clear goal: to rival, and eventually surpass, the legendary collection of the Ptolemies in Egypt. At its height, Pergamon was said to hold an incredible 200,000 scrolls, a true treasure of knowledge that made Pergamon one of the most advanced scholarly destinations of the ancient world.
Agents from both Pergamon and Alexandria traveled across the known world, desperate to locate and acquire rare texts, from lost Homeric verses to groundbreaking scientific works by long-forgotten individuals. For these Hellenistic kingdoms, amassing as many academic works as possible was a clear form of soft power—a way to showcase their wealth, sophistication, and claim as the rightful heirs to Alexander the Great’s cultural legacy in the known world.
This bitter rivalry even led to a confrontation that would change the course of history. According to the Roman historian Pliny the Elder, the Ptolemies in Egypt, in a calculated move to halt the advancement of Pergamon as an intellectual hub, declared an embargo on papyrus exports from Egypt. Their aim was simple: to starve their rival of the material needed to produce books. Nonetheless, this act of economic warfare ultimately backfired spectacularly for the Hellenistic kingdoms of Egypt.
Without their primary writing material, the scholars of Pergamon perfected a remarkable new alternative, ushering in a major advancement for the world. They invented the famous pergamena charta, what we now call parchment. Crafted from treated animal skins, parchment was stronger, more versatile, and more resilient than brittle papyrus.
This ingenious solution, born of necessity, saved the Library of Pergamon, paving the way for the codex and the modern book. It should be noted, however, that parchment was not originally invented there, as historical evidence shows it had been used earlier. However, Pergamon intensified its production and refined its use, driving it further forward.
Where was the Library of Pergamon?
Situated on the city’s stunning acropolis beside the temple to Athena on the western coast of Anatolia, in what today is the Turkish city of Bergama, the library stood at the heart of a broader, vibrant research center.
Prominent scholars from Alexandria, like Aristarchus, favored a more literal, text-focused approach to criticism. On the other hand, the Pergamene School, led by Crates of Mallus, argued that a more allegorical reading of literature was the way forward for the time’s academia. This intellectual disagreement deepened the critical study of classic texts and enriched the entire field of philology, as both sides of the Mediterranean pursued their own approaches, ultimately significantly contributing to humanity’s collective knowledge.
Over the years, Pergamon became a city renowned as a hub for the arts and sciences. The famous physician Galen, whose work would shape Western medicine for more than a thousand years, was born and trained there. Its sculptors were well known across the Hellenistic world for their dramatic, emotionally charged style that captivated the masses.
The historian Plutarch claims that Mark Antony, in a grand gesture of love, gifted Pergamon’s entire collection of 200,000 scrolls to Cleopatra to restock Alexandria’s library after a fire. Experts argue that there is insufficient evidence to suggest this actually occurred, but the legend itself demonstrates how immensely valuable Pergamon’s collection was considered. Regardless of how Pergamon and its library met their demise, its importance lives on in the very word “parchment.”
It survives in the foundations of critical thought cultivated within its walls and illustrates the significance of intellectual rivalries in ancient times, reflecting humanity’s pursuit to understand the world and advance collective knowledge.
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