Philetairos of Pergamon "Buried by Vesuvius" at the Getty Villa until October 28, 2019

Philetairos of Pergamon "Buried by Vesuvius" at the Getty Villa until October 28, 2019.
Philetairos, 343 –263 BCE, was the founder of the Attalid dynasty of Pergamon in Anatolia. After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE, Philetairos became embroiled in the struggle for supremacy, called the Wars of the Diadochi, between Alexander's generals. Philetairos served first under Antigonus then shifted his allegiance to Lysimachus who, after Antigonus was killed at the Battle of Ipsus in 301 BCE, made Philetairos commander of Pergamon, where Lysimachus kept a treasury of nine thousand talents of silver. Philetairos served Lysimachus until 282 BCE when court intrigues prompted him to desert Lysimachus and offer himself and the important fortress of Pergamon, along with its treasury to Seleucus. Seleucus subsequently defeated and killed Lysimachus at the Battle of Corupedium in 281 BCE. But, Seleucus himself was subsequently killed by Ptolemy Ceraunus, the brother-in-law of Lysimachus. However, Philetairos had, in the meantime, increased his power by becoming a benefactor to neighboring cities and temples, including the temples at Delphi and Delos. He also contributed troops, money and food to the city of Cyzicus for defense against the invading Gauls. As a result, Philetairos essentially ruled Pergamon for forty years with little interference. A eunuch since childhood, Philetaerus had no offspring, so he adopted his nephew, Eumenes I, who became his successor.


Image: This bust of Philetairos of Pergamon was found on the north side of the rectangular peristyle of the Villa dei Papiri on September 16, 1754 next to the bust of Archidamos III of Sparta. But, Philetairos was more active as a benefactor than as a warrior. The fact that he turns sharply to his left, indicates that this bust is derived from a full-length statue. This is probably a 1st century BCE - 1st century CE Roman copy of a Greek original.  Image courtesy of Allan Gluck

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