Attalus I
Attalus I ruled Pergamon, an Ionian Greek polis, from 241 BC to 197 BC. He won an important victory over the Galatians, newly arrived Celtic tribes from Thrace. He played a significant role in the first and second Macedonian Wars, waged against Philip V of Macedon.
About Attalus I in brief
Attalus I ruled Pergamon, an Ionian Greek polis, from 241 BC to 197 BC. He was the first of the Attalid dynasty to assume the title of king. Attalus won an important victory over the Galatians, newly arrived Celtic tribes from Thrace. He played a significant role in the first and second Macedonian Wars, waged against Philip V of Macedon. He died in 197 BC, shortly before the end of the second war, at the age of 72, having suffered an apparent stroke while addressing a Boeotian war council some months before. Little is known about Attalus’ early life. He is mentioned, along with his uncles, as a benefactor of Delphi, winning fame as a charioteer, winning at Olympia. His mother, Antiochis, was related to the Seleucid royal family, with her marriage to Attalus’ father likely arranged by Philetaerus to solidify his power. He and his wife were admired for their rearing of their four sons. He was succeeded as king by his son Eumenes II. The story of an oracle oracle arose, related by Pausanias, of an earlier generation who had attacked the Gauls together with their younger brother Antiochus. On the acropolis, a bull-horn was erected for Attalus, who was styled “meantalus, king of Pergamon’s king,” and was styled “Bull-horn Attalus.” He was a protector of the Greek cities of Anatolia and viewed himself as the champion of Greeks against barbarians.
According to the 2nd century AD Greek writer Pausanais, “the greatest of his achievements” was the defeat of the “Gauls’”. The elder Attalus was the son of a brother of both PhileTAerus, the founder of theAttalid dynasty, and Eumene, the father of Eumeners I, Philenaerus’ successor. He had four sons, including Attalus I, who died at the hands of Philip V in the Second Macedonian War, aged 72. The son of Attalus and Antiochis was known as “Soter”, which means “savior” or “champion” in Ancient Greek. The name Soter was also used for a later king, Antiochus I, after which he claimed the title “King of Soter’. The title Soter means ‘savior,’ which was used to refer to a means of saving the life of the king. The younger Attalus is said to have been called ‘‘Soter the Bull’ or ‘Bull-Horn’, after he was killed by a Gaul in a battle in the 4th century BC.
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This page is based on the article Attalus I published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 03, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
