Advertisement
Published: November 2nd 2010
In the interest of conserving time I've decided to consolidate my visits to the remarkable archeological sites of Segesta, Selinus, and Akragas.
Segesta
The main tourist objects that attract a multitude of visitors annually to Segesta are the Doric temple constructed in the late 5th century B.C. and the theater. At first glance one would assume, from these structures, that Segesta was a Greek establishment but it was in fact Elymian. The Elymians were one of the three Italic Tribes of Sicily and Segesta was their political center. Segesta was in perpetual conflict with the Greek city of Selinus (Selinunte). Segesta's pleas for aid from Athens and later Carthage led to the horrific Athenian Expedition to Sicily (413-415 B.C.), wherein the Athenian expeditionary force was totally annihilated, and the total destruction of Selinus, respectively. Segesta remained an ally to Carthage. It surrendered to Rome in 260 B.C. and was granted the status of a "free and immune city" apparently because both Elymians and Romans claimed to be descendants of refugees from Troy. This meant that they didn't have to pay taxes. Elymians gradually became integrated into the general Sicilian population.
There is also evidence of a Muslim necropolis,
Theater
Segestaa 12th century mosque that was destroyed presumably by a Christian landlord in the 13th century, and a Norman castle at the site of Segesta. The city was finally totally abandoned in the late 13th century.
As a side note, the theater of Segesta is still in use and you can see spectaculars performed there for a reasonable price. When I looked at the bulletin board there was a musical performance the following week for 14 Euros, which is cheap considering the phenomenal location.
Selinus
Selinus, or Selinunte, was one of the most important Greek cities in Sicily and had five Doric temples but only one, the Temple of Hera, has been re-erected. It was founded by colonists from Megara Hyblaea, which I visited and wrote about in a
previous blog entry, anywhere from 654 B.C. to 628 B.C. depending upon records from Hieronymus or Thucydides. Let's just say it was a long time ago. As mentioned early, Selinus was in conflict with Segesta and was destroyed by Carthage. Most of the site is currently rubble, but it's still quite extraordinary. One of the temples would have been seriously giant, measuring at least as large as a soccer field
with 17 columns along its side. At this point, a site like this requires a bit of an imagination for the viewer but it would have been hugely impressive.
Akragas
The Greek city of Akragas, currently known as Agrigento, was established in about 580 B.C. by colonists from Gela. It quickly grew to become one of the richest and most powerful Greek colonies before it was sacked by Carthaginians in 406 B.C. It all kind of went down hill from there. In the First Punic War the Romans took over in 261 B.C. and sold the population of Akragas into slavery. Romans again captured Akragas from Carthage in the Second Punic War in 210 B.C. and changed the name to Agrigentum. It became prosperous again and inhabitants were given Roman citizenship.
Today the site is spectacularly well restored, particularly the Temple of Concordia which was built in the 5th century B.C. and turned into a church in the 6th century A.D. You can see the arches of the church within the temple's structure. When you visit Akragas, today called the "Valle dei Templi", make sure to budget plenty of time since it takes at least two full
hours to view all of the temples and Byzantine burials the site is that huge. I would recommend arriving around 16.00 and staying until closing time at 19.00 so you can watch the sunset at the Temple of Concordia and take photos of it illuminated at night. It is seriously one of the most impressive sites I've ever seen.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.099s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 9; qc: 50; dbt: 0.0424s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
