All that remains of the ancient city of Pergamum are worn and looted ruins. The main sites of Pergamum are located to the north and west of the modern city of Bergama in Turkey. Although the town was known for its beauty, it was also one of the darkest and greediest cities in the Roman Empire. Being a political and economic center in the province of Asia Minor, the city held a unique status that set it apart from other cities in the Roman Empire. Pergamum was one of the most influential cities in the Empire and also served as the center for the worship of the Roman Emperor, who was believed to be part god and part human in ancient times.
Additionally, there was a temple dedicated to the worship of the war goddess Athena. However, the most significant altar for worship in the city was the Great Altar of Zeus, which is also mentioned as the "Throne of Satan" in the Book of Revelation in the Bible: "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘I know your works, and where you dwell... where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to my name, and did not deny my faith even in the days in which Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells - Revelation 2:12."
In 1878, the German engineer Carl Humann started to dismantle the Altar of Zeus from the long-abandoned city of Pergamum and transported it to Berlin. The altar was stored until the construction of a new museum in Berlin began in 1910. Due to war and economic depression in Germany, the museum was not opened to visitors until 1930. The Great Altar of Zeus, or the "Throne of Satan" as some call it, went on display in Berlin's Pergamon Museum in 1930, along with a reconstruction of the Ishtar Gate of ancient Babylon, also known as the "gates of hell."
In a seemingly coincidental turn of events, just three years after the grand opening of the museum, Germany experienced a revival from hell when Adolf Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany and later its dictator and Führer. Adolf Hitler commissioned the young architect Albert Speer to design the new parade grounds for his big party rallies in Nuremberg. Albert Speer took inspiration from the Great Altar of Zeus in Berlin when he designed the colossal altar for Hitler, which became known as the "Zeppelintribüne."
It was here that Hitler received the adoration of the masses during the political rallies in Nuremberg. I am convinced that Adolf Hitler believed he possessed an almost god-like status when he stood on top of his altar in Nuremberg and received enthusiastic cheers from hundreds of thousands of devoted followers and worshippers who would later be tragically led to their deaths by their Führer.
Mikael Good
