Agrigento
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Where is Agrigento located in Italy?
Agrigento is a city located near the southern coast of Sicily, Italy, positioned on a plateau encircled by low cliffs. Overlooking the junction of the Drago and San Biagio rivers, it is dominated from the north by a ridge with twin peaks. Agrigento is in southwestern Sicily near the coast.
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What is Agrigento known for?
Agrigento, situated near Sicily's southern coast, is known for its rich Greek history and remarkably well-preserved Greek ruins. Founded around 581 BCE by Greek colonists, the city boasts the remains of eight ancient gates and a continuous sacred area featuring seven Doric temples. Among these, the temples of Hera and Concordia stand out as the best-preserved. The city was once ruled by the tyrant Phalaris and later became the birthplace of the philosopher Empedocles. Today, Agrigento's economy relies on mining, agriculture, and tourism.
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What is the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento?
The Valley of the Temples is located near the southern coast of Agrigento in Sicily, Italy. This plateau site contains the remains of the ancient city, revealing Agrigento's most famous feature: its seven Doric temples.
The best-preserved temples are those that are conventionally attributed to the goddesses Hera and Concordia. The Temple of Zeus, with its huge altar, was among the largest Doric buildings, though its ruins were quarried in the 18th century. The Sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone features remains of archaic cult buildings, and there are also ruined temples of Hephaestus and Asclepius.
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Who built the ancient temples found in Agrigento?
The ancient temples in Agrigento were constructed by Greek colonists, who founded the city around 581 BCE. This sacred area, located along a ridge, contains the remains of Agrigento's famed Doric temples.
Well-preserved temples, like those dedicated to Hera and Concordia, showcase the architecture of that era. The Temple of Zeus, though now in ruins, was among the largest Doric structures. Other significant sites include the Sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone and the temples of Hephaestus and Asclepius.
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How does Agrigento's Greek history influence the city today?
Agrigento, Italy, was founded around 581 BCE by Greek colonists from Gela. The city's Greek history significantly influences it today, with the plateau of the ancient city being rich in Greek remains, most notably its seven Doric temples. The Temple of Concordia, converted into a church in 597 CE, stands as one of the best-preserved examples.
Other significant ruins include the Temple of Zeus, the Sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone, and temples of Hephaestus and Asclepius. These archaeological sites contribute to Agrigento's economy through tourism and stand as testaments to the city's Greek heritage.
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What are some other important cultural or historical sites in Agrigento besides the Valley of the Temples?
Agrigento offers a wealth of cultural and historical sites beyond the famed Valley of the Temples. The city's ancient plateau is rich with Greek remains, including remnants of city walls and eight gates. Noteworthy are the well-preserved Temples of Hera and Concordia, along with the ruins of the Temple of Zeus.
Other significant sites include the Sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone, the Temple of Hephaestus, and the Temple of Asclepius. Additionally, the "tomb of Theron," a Hellenistic monument, and the "Oratory of Phalaris" are worth exploring. The medieval and modern city features the 14th-century cathedral, the Churches of Santo Spirito and Santa Maria dei Greci, Baroque churches, palaces, and an archaeological museum.
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Agrigento, city, near the southern coast of Sicily, Italy. It lies on a plateau encircled by low cliffs overlooking the junction of the Drago (ancient Hypsas) and San Biagio (Acragas) rivers and is dominated from the north by a ridge with twin peaks. Agrigento was a wealthy ancient city founded about 581 bce by Greek colonists from Gela. It was ruled 570–554 bce by the notorious tyrant Phalaris, who was reputed to have had men roasted alive in a brazen bull, and it reached its peak in 480 when the tyrant Theron, in alliance with Syracuse, won the decisive Battle of Himera over the Carthaginians. In 470 the tyranny was replaced by a democracy. Agrigento was the birthplace of the philosopher-politician Empedocles. Under the tyranny it was a considerable centre of the arts. The city was neutral in the struggle between Athens and Syracuse but was ravaged by the Carthaginians in 406 bce, a disaster from which it never really recovered. Refounded by the Greek general and statesman Timoleon in 338, it achieved some local importance in the early 3rd century bce but was sacked by the Romans (262) and the Carthaginians (255) before falling finally to Rome in 210 bce. Under Roman rule its agricultural wealth and the exploitation of the nearby sulfur mines ensured a modest prosperity. In late antiquity its inhabitants withdrew to the relative security of the medieval hilltop town of Girgenti, the nucleus of modern Agrigento. Occupied and colonized by the Saracens in 828, Girgenti was captured in 1087 by the Norman conqueror of Sicily, Count Roger I, who established a Latin bishopric.
The plateau site of the ancient city is extraordinarily rich in Greek remains. A wall, with remnants of eight gates, can be traced from the two northern peaks (the Rock of Athena and the hill of Girgenti) to the ridge that carried the south line of the city’s defenses. An almost continuous sacred area along this ridge has been excavated to reveal Agrigento’s most famous remains, its seven Doric temples. The best preserved are two very similar peripteral, hexastyle temples conventionally, though wrongly, attributed to the goddesses Hera and Concordia; the latter temple, which lacks little but the roof, owes its remarkable preservation to having been converted into a church in 597 ce.
The Temple of Zeus, in front of which stood a huge altar, was one of the largest and most original of all Doric buildings; it was still unfinished in 406 bce. Its ruins were quarried in 1749–63 to build the jetties of Porto Empedocle, and very little is now standing. The Sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone (formerly known as the Temple of Castor and Pollux) is notable for many remains of archaic cult buildings. There is a pre-Hellenic cave sanctuary at the foot of the cliffs where the Temple of Demeter, underlying the Church of San Biagio, is found. There are also ruined temples of Hephaestus and Asclepius (Aesculapius); the “tomb of Theron,” a late Hellenistic funerary monument; and the “Oratory of Phalaris,” a hērōon (“heroic shrine”) of the 1st century ce adjoining the 13th-century Church of San Nicola. A short distance to the east of the latter a considerable quarter of the Greek and Roman town has been excavated, but, apart from extensive remains of aqueducts and cisterns, little is known of the Greek civil or domestic architecture. Earlier classical cemeteries lie beyond the walls.
Notable buildings of the medieval and modern city include the 14th-century cathedral, the 13th-century Churches of Santo Spirito and Santa Maria dei Greci (overlying remains of a Doric temple), Baroque churches and palaces, and the rich archaeological museum. Illegal construction and landslides have resulted in damage to some local monuments, however.
Agrigento’s economy is based on sulfur and potash mining, agriculture, and tourism. It is served by Porto Empedocle, 9 miles (15 km) southwest, the best harbour on the southwest coast of Sicily and Italy’s principal sulfur port. Pop. (2006 est.) mun., 59,111.