Attalus III and the Poison Garden
The king of Pergamon spends more time dissecting vipers than ruling his court.
Paul Gauguin — "Ia Orana Maria (Hail Mary)" (1891), public domain
King in a Poison Garden
Instead of feasts or battles, Attalus III, last king of Pergamon, prowled his palace gardens with a scalpel. He dissected vipers, brewed venoms, and sketched plants—his court watched as he vanished deeper into his obsessions.
A Throne Left to Strangers
While Pergamon’s nobles waited for orders, Attalus drafted a will: if he died without an heir, Rome would get everything. When his sudden death arrived, Pergamon became Roman territory overnight—because a king preferred snakes to sons.
Attalus III left the richest kingdom in Asia to Rome, not an heir. He preferred the company of roots and reptiles to that of courtiers—and his will redrew the map.
