Attalus I (
Greek ?tta???), surnamed
Soter (
Greek S?t??, "Savior"; 269 BC – 197 BC)
[1] ruled
Pergamon, a Ionian Greek
polis (what is now
Bergama,
Turkey), first as
dynast, later as king, from 241 BC to 197 BC. He was the second cousin (some say the grandnephew) and the adoptive son of
Eumenes I,
[2] whom he succeeded, and was the first of the
Attalid dynasty to assume the title of king in 238 BC.
[3] He was the son of Attalus and his wife Antiochis, Princess of
Seleucid Syria.
Attalus won an important victory over the Galatians, newly arrived Celtic tribes from Thrace, who had been, for more than a generation, plundering and exacting tribute throughout most of Asia Minor without any serious check. This victory, celebrated by the triumphal monument at Pergamon, famous for its Dying Gaul, and the liberation from the Gallic "terror" which it represented, earned for Attalus the name of "Soter", and the title of "king".
A courageous and capable general and loyal ally of Rome, he played a significant role in the first and second Macedonian Wars, waged against Philip V of Macedon. He conducted numerous naval operations, harassing Macedonian interests throughout the Aegean, winning honors, collecting spoils, and gaining for Pergamon possession of the Greek islands of Aegina during the first war, and Andros during the second, twice narrowly escaping capture at the hands of Philip.
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. He enjoyed a famously happy domestic life, shared with his wife and four sons. He was succeeded as king by his son Eumenes II.
