The Sanctuary of Demeter at Pergamon, capital of the Attalid kingdom in Asia Minor (283--133 BCE), is among the city's oldest, largest, and best-preserved monuments, and it affords a unique view into its development. The cult-site was established in the fourth century BCE and renovated twice in the Hellenistic period---by Philetairos (283--263 BCE), founder of the Attalid dynasty, and by Queen Apollonis, wife of Attalos I (241--197 BCE)---and again in Roman times. Despite its well-documented history, the sanctuary still awaits analysis as an architectural, ritual, and dynastic space, along with integration into the scholarship on Pergamon.

This dissertation reexamines the precincts of Philetairos and Apollonis with the aim of reconstructing a context for the sanctuary in the Attalid capital. The investigation proceeds from a reassessment of the archaeological remains, formal and comparative analysis of the monuments, and consideration of cultic requirements. It offers a revised picture of the precinct's development by proposing new reconstructions for the pre-Attalid temenos and the building phases of Philetairos and Apollonis. It presents new evidence for narrowing the time-frame of Apollonis' dedication, making it one of the most precisely dated monuments at Pergamon. Although the lack of precise information on the cult prevents ritual identification of all structures on the site, an attempt is made to explain the precinct's ceremonial use. A focal point of the dissertation is the contextualization of the sanctuary's architectural detail. My analysis shows that the monuments of the Demeter Sanctuary were rooted in an Anatolian building tradition and that the style(s) of Apollonis' buildings elaborated on the architectural language of Philetairos' designs, conveying both unity and continuity.

My reevaluation of the Demeter Sanctuary as an architectural and ritual space lays the groundwork for my future, broader investigations into the role of this cult-site in the Attalid capital---studies that address the intersection of gender, cult, dynasty, and building style in this space.