The structure is 35.64 metres (116' 31/32") wide and 33.4 metres (109' 6 5/8") deep; the front stairway alone is almost 20 metres (65' 11/16") wide. The base is decorated with a frieze in high relief showing the battle between the Giants and the Olympian gods known as the Gigantomachy.

In 1878, the German engineer Carl Humann started official excavations on the acropolis of Pergamon, an effort that lasted until 1886 CE.

The Great Altar of Pergamon, dedicated to Zeus and Athena, was ornamented on its vast sockel with reliefs depicting the struggle of the Olympian gods and the subterranean powers. It was built by Eumenes II (197-159 BCE) in commemoration of his victory over the Gauls in 190 BCE. The altar, ascended by means of a stairway on its western side, enclosed an offering table within a raised court bounded on three sides by colonnaded enclosure wall which itself was ornamented on the inside with reliefs depicting the legend of Telephus, the son of Heracles and Auge and forefather of the Pergamene royal family.

circa 130 BCE

The foundations of The Great Altar Of Zeus as they stand today, the altar itself is in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin; Germany.

In Byzantine times, the temple was neglected and eventually dismantled. Fragments of marble from the altar were built into the Byzantine defensive walls.

In 1871 CE, the Zeus Altar was rediscovered by the German engineer Carl Humann, who took it back to his home country. The Turkish government is in the process of trying to get the artifact back from Germany.

circa 130 BCE

The Great Frieze (Gigantomachy)
The principal sculptural program of the Pergamon Altar is the monumental Great Frieze, which encircles the exterior of the structure on a high podium, narrating the Gigantomachy—the cosmic battle between the Olympian gods and the Giants. Executed in high relief with figures often nearly in the round, the frieze extends for approximately 113 meters in length and over 2.3 meters in height, making it one of the most ambitious sculptural undertakings of the Hellenistic period. The theme, rooted in archaic myth, served as an allegory for divine order triumphing over chaos, a symbolic parallel to the Attalid dynasty’s victories over barbarian forces in Asia Minor, notably the Galatians.

The composition is characterized by its dynamic intensity, deep drilling, and a theatrical treatment of anatomy and drapery that epitomize late Hellenistic expressionism. The gods are rendered in vigorous contrapposto, their forms emerging with almost sculptural autonomy from the background plane, while the Giants—half-human, half-serpentine beings—struggle in twisting contortions that emphasize the violent energy of the scene. Central panels depict Zeus hurling thunderbolts amid a vortex of combat, Athena seizing the giant Alkyoneus by the hair as Nike crowns her victory, and Artemis and Apollo advancing in radiant composure, their figures enveloped in turbulent drapery. The degree of psychological and physical movement within the frieze marks a decisive evolution from the classical restraint of the Parthenon sculptures toward the heightened emotionalism of the 2nd century BCE.

Art historical analysis attributes the design and execution to a team of sculptors working under the supervision of Eumenes II around circa 180–160 BCE, possibly following a unified workshop model similar to that used in the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. Inscriptions on the base record several artists’ names, suggesting a large-scale collaborative enterprise rather than a single master. The sculptural technique displays virtuosity in the treatment of musculature and light, with undercutting so deep that many figures cast natural shadows. The Gigantomachy thus functioned not only as dynastic propaganda but also as a theological statement, transforming myth into a monumental manifestation of divine justice and royal legitimacy.

The Telephos Frieze (Inner Altar Courtyard)
Within the inner courtyard of the Pergamon Altar ran a second, smaller sculptural cycle known as the Telephos Frieze, dedicated to the mythological hero Telephos, legendary founder of Pergamon and son of Heracles. This continuous narrative, executed in a subtler and more painterly low relief, traced the life of Telephos from birth to his recognition and healing by Achilles, a myth chosen deliberately to establish the Attalid rulers’ genealogical connection to the heroic lineage of Heracles. The frieze extended along the inner walls of the colonnaded courtyard, measuring about 80 meters in total length, and would have been visible to those ascending the grand staircase into the altar precinct.

The Telephos Frieze contrasts markedly with the dramatic monumentality of the outer Gigantomachy. Its emphasis lies in narrative coherence and spatial depth rather than kinetic motion. Scenes are composed in carefully framed episodes—an oracle’s prophecy, Telephos’ exposure and rescue by a she-wolf, his upbringing in Mysia, and his encounter with the Argives—arranged in a sequential order that suggests early experimentation with visual storytelling akin to Hellenistic painting. The figures exhibit softer modeling, quieter gestures, and intricate architectural and landscape backgrounds, which serve to humanize the myth and localize it within Pergamon’s cultural geography. Stylistically, it reflects a different artistic workshop, one more concerned with pathos and narrative rhythm than with grandiose expression. This deliberate distinction between the exterior and interior programs underscores the altar’s dual message: the public triumph of divine order on the outside, and the dynastic legitimacy rooted in heroic ancestry within.

Other Sculptural Elements
Beyond the two principal friezes, the Pergamon Altar also incorporated a range of ancillary sculptural and decorative elements that enriched its architectural complexity. The base, stairway balustrades, and cornices were adorned with relief ornamentation depicting vegetal motifs, sacrificial implements, and mythological creatures rendered in exquisite detail, integrating the sacred narrative into the architectural framework. Architectural fragments recovered from the site—acanthus capitals, molded cornices, and pedimental figures—demonstrate the sculptors’ concern for cohesion between structural and decorative sculpture, a hallmark of Hellenistic monumental design.

Numerous fragmentary panels and isolated relief blocks, now distributed among the Pergamon Museum in Berlin and various collections, suggest additional narrative elements that may have accompanied the principal cycles. Some scholars have proposed that smaller votive or dedicatory reliefs, possibly representing personifications of cities or deified ancestors, were once installed within the precinct walls or associated stoas. The surviving remains reveal traces of original polychromy and gilding, confirming that the altar’s visual impact in antiquity would have been far more vivid than the marble surfaces seen today.

In artistic influence, the Pergamon reliefs exerted a profound legacy throughout the Hellenistic World and then the Roman world. Their expressive modeling and compositional complexity directly informed later imperial triumphal monuments, notably the Ara Pacis and the friezes of Roman sarcophagi in the 2nd century CE. The altar’s synthesis of architecture, myth, and dynastic ideology thus represents the culmination of Hellenistic sculptural ambition—an enduring fusion of religion, power, and art that redefined the narrative potential of monumental relief.