by Rachel Hiser Remmes

Agrigento, Sicily is a city with a rich history, which can still be seen in many of the archeological remains. The earliest record of Agrigento is from the 6th century B.C.E. when the city was called Akragas, a site with a rich Hellenistic heritage and one of the major cities in Magna Graecia. Situated in a fertile location the city was contested continuously between the Carthaginians and Roman in the First and Second Punic Wars, until it was seized finally by the Romans in 210 B.C.E. and renamed Agrigentum. Although it was officially a Roman province, its Greek heritage remained predominant. In 44 B.C.E., Julius Caesar granted Agrigentum full citizenship.

Agrigento still houses a plethora of ancient archeological treasures, dating back to its earliest years as a Greek province. Of particular significance among these are The Valley of Temples and many domestic floor mosaics that reveal more about the daily life of Ancient Greek and Romans.


Valley of the Temples, 6th-5th century B.C.E.

Greek Mosaics, 3rd century B.C.E.

http://www.agrigento-sicilia.it/english/storia.htm

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/831

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