Attalus III was the son of king
Eumenes II and his queen
Stratonice of Pergamon, and he was the nephew of
Attalus II, whom he succeeded. "Philometor Euergetes" means "Loving-his-Mother, Benefactor" in Greek; he was so-called because of his close relationship with his mother Stratonice. He is the likely addressee of a fragmentary hymn by the poet
Nicander which celebrates his heritage. According to
Livy, Attalus III had little interest in ruling Pergamon, devoting his time to studying
medicine,
botany,
gardening, and other pursuits. He had no male children or heirs of his own, and in his
will he left his kingdom to the
Roman Republic, believing that if he did not then Rome would take the kingdom anyway and this way would avoid bloodshed.
Tiberius Gracchus requested that the treasury of Pergamon be opened up to the Roman public to pay for
his land reform, but the
Senate refused this. Not everyone in Pergamon accepted Rome's rule. In 131 BC
Aristonicus, who claimed to be Attalus' brother as well as the son of
Eumenes II, an earlier king, led a
popular uprising with the help of the Roman philosopher
Blossius. He ruled as
Eumenes III. The revolt was put down in 129 BC, and Pergamon was divided among Rome,
Pontus, and
Cappadocia. ==Notes==