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AGRIGENTO: THE SICILIAN CAPITAL OF GREEK TEMPLES
Agrigento:
Dominating the southern shore, Agrigento was another important Greek city, one of the most beautiful of the ancient world; the Greek poet Pindar admired it deeply. Agrigento reached great heights in art and culture in the third century B.C. but saw its fortunes wax and wane with those of the Roman Empire. The Valley of the Temples (Valle dei Templi), where the ancient city once stood, is one of the most dramatic classical ruins in the Mediterranean. Farther up the hill from the ruins stands modern Agrigento, a small town that most visitors bypass.
Agrigento was founded in 581 B.C. on a gentle slope toward the sea shaped as a natural amphitheatre and protected by two hills and two rivers. A prosperous city in antiquity, it was progressively abandoned during the decline of the Roman Empire. The Arabs and then the Normans later occupied the site, and the population moved up the hill to the current site of town. During the 13th and 14th centuries, the feudal Chiaramonte family promoted the construction of walls around the town, as well as numerous churches and monasteries.
Valle dei Templi (Valley of the Temples)
The Valley of the Temples is the reason that most people come to Agrigento, and it's the most impressive Greek ruins outside Greece.
The archaeological area where the temples are located is quite wide and has very few trees. Bring comfortable shoes, a hat, sunscreen, and at least a quart of water per person. If you plan to visit as a day trip, we suggest you pack a picnic lunch to eat near the ruins it's a nice spot, and you'll have more time to visit. The valley at sunrise or sunset is dramatic, and in summer the temperature at these times is cooler. You will need two to three hours for your visit, so if you want to be there at sunset plan to come early enough to see everything before dark.
From the Porta Aurea, a gate in the Greek walls of ancient Agrigento, you will find the three best conserved temples on one side (Tempio di Ercole, Tempio della Concordia, and Tempio dě Giunone) and the Tempio di Giove and Tempio dei Dioscuri by the river on the other.
The massive Tempio di Giove (Temple of Jove or Zeus) was built to celebrate the gratitude of the people of Agrigento for their 480 479 B.C. victory over the Carthaginians at Himera. One of the largest temples of antiquity, it covered approximately 6,317 sq. m. (68,000 sq. ft.) and was 32.4m (108 ft.) tall. Each of the columns rose 26.3m (55.4 ft,) and measured 4.1 m (13.8 ft.) at the base; probably alternated with the columns were the Telamons (or Atlases) human figures supporting a structure. Each of these giants measured 7.5m (254t.) high, and you can see one that is now lying flat on the ground.
The Tempio dei Dioscuri or di Castore e Polluce (Temple of Castor and Pollux) is believed to have been built between 480 and 460 B.C. to honour the twin sons of Jupiter and Leda, queen of Sparta, protectors of athletes, hospitality, and sailors in difficulty. Of the 34 columns, only 4 remain standing (at the corner of the temple), which were restored in the 19th century. Nearby are the few remains of the Tempio di Vulcano.
On the other side of the entrance, the Tempio di Ercole (Temple of Hercules) is one of the most beautiful and the largest of the temples on this side: it occupied an area of about 2,043 sq. m. (22,000 sq. ft.). Hercules was highly revered in Sicily and particularly in Agrigento; the god of strength, he was thought to free people from nightmares and unwanted erotic stimuli. Only nine columns are still standing, thanks to the generosity of the English Captain Hardcastle who paid for their restoration in the 1920s. The columns were originally painted white to simulate marble, whereas the cornice was decorated in red, blue, and turquoise. The temple was richly decorated with reliefs and sculptures.
The Tempio della Concordia (Temple of Concordia), built around 430 B.C., is remarkably well preserved, because it was transformed into a church.
The Greek Temple:
The Greek temple was conceived as the habitation of a god and always opened to the east because the god’s statue had to face the rising sun (symbol of the beginning of light and life) and never the sunset (symbol of the night and the death). Over a high rectangular platform with steps, the classic temple has a perimeter of columns and an inside wall enclosing three rooms: the pronaos (entrance), the naos (the cell with the statue of the god), and the opistodomos (where the treasure, the votive gifts, and the archives of the temple were kept). In fact, temples were so sacred that citizens used to leave their valuables there, thus using them as safes.
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