PERGAMUM, (Pliny); called also Pergamea, (Virgil); Pergamia, (Plutarch); a town of Crete, built.
Pergamon, built by Agamemnon in memory of his victory, (Vel-
leius). Here was the burying-place of Lycurgus (Ari-
stoxenus, quoted by Plutarch). It was situated near
Cydonia (Servius); to what point not said: but Scylax
helps him out, who places the Dactyncean temple of
Diana, which stood near Cydonia (Strabo), to the north
of the territory of Pergamia.—Another PERGAMUM
(Pliny, Strabo); a town of Mysia, situated on the Cai-
cus, which runs by it. It was the royal residence of
Eumenes, and of the kings of the Attali (Livy).
There an ancient temple of Æsculapius stood; an asy-
lum (Tacitus). The ornament of Pergamum was the
royal library, vying with that of Alexandria in Egypt;
the kings of Pergamum and Egypt rivaling each other
in this respect (Pliny). Strabo ascribes this rivalry to
Eumenes. Plutarch reckons up 200,000 volumes in
the library at Pergamum. Here the membrane perga-
menæ, whence the name parchment, were invented for
the use of books, (Varro, quoted by Pliny). The coun-
try of Galen, and of Oribasius chief physician to Julian
the Apostate (Eunapius), called by some the ape of
Galen. Here P. Scipio died (Cicero). Attalus son of
Eumenes dying without issue, bequeathed his kingdom
to the Roman people, who reduced it to a province,
(Strabo). Pergameus, the epithet (Martial). Here
was one of the nine conventus juridici, or assemblies of
the Asia Romana, called Pergamenus, and the ninth
in order (Pliny); which he also calls jurisdicatio Per-
gamena.