Catana

Greek colony

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Last updated

June 24, 2026

Quick Summary

Catania, originally founded as the Greek colony of Katane in 729 BCE by settlers from Chalcis, is a city in eastern Sicily, Italy. It is situated on the Ionian seacoast, south of Mount Etna. The city was conquered and renamed Aetna in the 5th century BCE by Hieron I, tyrant of Syracuse, but its inhabitants later restored the original name. Catania became a Roman colony under Octavian and has a history marked by various rulers, including the Byzantines, Arabs, and Normans. The city has been rebuilt multiple times due to natural disasters, particularly an eruption of Mount Etna in 1669 and an earthquake in 1693. Today, Catania is a significant industrial and transportation hub in Sicily.12

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Artistic development
Catana used the artist Heracleidas to design a splendid facing head of Apollo. Selinus abandoned its parsley leaf and issued some remarkable types, notably that of Apollo and Artemis in their quadriga and, on the reverse, the local hero sacrificing at an altar, alluding to…
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Catana used the artist Heracleidas to design a splendid facing head of Apollo. Selinus abandoned its parsley leaf and issued some remarkable types, notably that of Apollo and Artemis in their quadriga and, on the reverse, the local hero sacrificing at an altar, alluding to…
Read More