218 A R C H A E O LO G I C A L I N S T I T U T E O F A M E R I C A

Creating Heroic Landscapes: Tumuli Visibility and Territorial Organization in

Pergamon
Christina Williamson, Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World,
Brown University, and Ute Kelp, Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Berlin

Cityscapes in Graeco-Roman Asia Minor were typically defined by necropoleis

with monumental tombs lining the main access routes. Tumuli especially occupy
a large place in the views of several cities today. Notable among these is ancient
Pergamon, with no less than 11 major burial mounds. The greatest of these is
Yığma Tepe, in the plain below Pergamon, with a ground surface area comparable
to the Acropolis and neatly aligned with the axial orientation of the Temple of
Athena. But how do other tumuli impact the spatial organization of this emerging
grand city? What role did their locations play in shaping the social and political
landscape? 
Two outlying tumuli in the region of Pergamon, both recently investigated un-
der the auspices of the German Archaeological Institute, provide case studies to
examine these issues in closer relief. The İlyas Tepe tumulus, though certainly not
the largest, nonetheless occupies one of the most prominent places in the wider
environment as it crowns the crest of the great hill immediately east of Pergamon.
This tomb dates from the second half of the third century B.C.E. and its unusual
location on a hilltop, rather than among the other tumuli below the city, may well
be connected to the reign of Attalos I. A second case study is related to Elaia, Per-
gamon’s principal harbor and maritime base. The Seç Tepe tumulus has been ten-
tatively dated to the second century B.C.E., when Elaia blossomed under Attalid
rule. Most of Elaia’s burials are located closer to the city walls, yet this tumulus is
situated across the bay to the southeast, on a low rise along the coastal route from
Izmir to Pergamon. One of the first features that a traveler from the south would
encounter, this tomb visually connects the coast, the bay, and Elaia.
In this paper we use architectural and visibility analysis to interpret these
monumental tombs in their spatial contexts. We demonstrate how they were posi-
tioned at strategic locations and served as landmarks. The allocation of such prime
sites for these tumuli is held up against the background of funerary space, social
relevance, and political objectives. Taking into account the changing conception of
heroization in Hellenistic times, we pursue the idea of creating a heroic landscape
as a determining factor. Going beyond the cityscape, we argue that these tumuli
played an important role in developing a sense of territory and tradition in this
rapidly emerging kingdom.