Pergamum Acropolis & Steepest Ancient Theatre (UNESCO)

Perched breathtakingly on a commanding mesa 330 meters above the modern town of Bergama and the Bakırçay River plain, the Acropolis of ancient Pergamum (Pergamon) is one of the most dramatically situated archaeological sites in the Mediterranean. As the capital of the powerful Hellenistic Attalid Kingdom during the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, Pergamum rivaled Alexandria and Athens as a global center of culture, philosophy, and learning. It was here that parchment paper (charta pergamena) was invented after Egypt banned papyrus exports, allowing the Library of Pergamum to amass an astounding 200,000 volumes. Visitors explore the imperial Trajaneum with its reconstructed white marble Corinthian columns, the Sanctuary of Athena, and the monumental Hellenistic Theater: a breathtaking 10,000-seat amphitheater carved into an extraordinarily steep 70-degree hillside, plunging dizzyingly toward the valley floor with sweeping panoramic Aegean views.