Attalus III
| Attalus III Philometor Euergetes | |
|---|---|
Greek Polytheism |
Attalus III (
Attalid king of Pergamon
, ruling from 138 BC to 133 BC.
Biography
Attalus III was the son of king
Attalus II, whom he succeeded. "Philometor Euergetes" means "Loving-his-Mother, Benefactor" in Greek; he was so-called because of his close relationship with his mother Stratonice. He is the likely addressee of a fragmentary hymn by the poet Nicander which celebrates his heritage.[1]
According to
will he left his kingdom to the Roman Republic,[2] believing that if he did not then Rome would take the kingdom anyway and this way would avoid bloodshed.[3] Tiberius Gracchus requested that the treasury of Pergamon be opened up to the Roman public, but the Senate
refused this.
Not everyone in Pergamon accepted Rome's rule. In 131 BC
Blossius. He ruled as Eumenes III. The revolt was put down in 129 BC, and Pergamon was divided among Rome, Pontus, and Cappadocia
.
Notes
References
- Hansen, Esther V. (1971). The Attalids of Pergamon. Ithaca, New York: ISBN 0-8014-0615-3.
- Kosmetatou, Elizabeth (2003) "The Attalids of Pergamon," in Andrew Erskine, ed., A Companion to the Hellenistic World. Oxford: Blackwell: pp. 159–174. ISBN 1-4051-3278-7. text
- Nelson, T.J. (2020) ‘Nicander’s Hymn to Attalus: Pergamene Panegyric’, CCJ 66, 182–202.
- Simon Hornblower and Tony Spawforth, Who's Who (Classical World), pg. 61.
