A ridge, rather than a valley, full of wonderful ruins next to a wonderful Sicilian city.
The misnamed Valley of the Temples (Valle dei Templi) lies on a ridge parallel to the modern city of Agrigento, Sicily. The ancient city, Akragas, was founded on a naturally fortified ridge overlooking the sea back around 580 BCE. Akragas grew to become one of the largest and richest of the Ancient Greek colonies of Magnae Graecia (Greater Greece, the Greek colonies of Southern Italy). The population may have been as large as 100,000-200,000 people, much more than today’s 60,000.
Akragas was sacked by Carthage in 406 BCE and then was sacked and tossed about by both Rome and Carthage during both Punic Wars. Rome finally captured Akragas in 210 BCE and renamed it Agrigentum. However, the city and area remained mostly Greek speaking for centuries later, but it did regain its prosperity.
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the lower parts of the city were abandoned, and people flocked to the acropolis. People also moved to the adjoining, and much higher, hills, creating the more modern city, which until the early 20th century was known as Girgenti, later renamed Agrigento. Most of the ancient remains can be found on the acropolis but temples would have existed where the modern city is today.
Modern Agrigento as seen from the Valley of the Temples.
First stop is the misnamed Temple of Juno (Hera), dating to around 450 BCE.
The Temple of Juno (Hera) was reconstructed starting in the 18th century, right on time for the Grand Tour craze.
Near the temple are wheel ruts from an Ancient Greek road that passed through one of the city gates. Super awesome.
What was once a natural cliff line was used by the Greeks as a defensive barrier. This barrier was later used by early Christians, during the 4-7th centuries CE, to bury their dead. These tombs are known as arcosolia.
The arcosolia kind of remind me of the canopy tombs in the catacombs of Malta.
Next is the Temple of Concordia, one of best preserved Ancient Greek temples in the world.
The reason the temple was preserved was because it was turned into a church. The back of the temple was turned into the front, destroying the cella (the enclosed portion of the temple) by creating arches that made holes in the sides in order to conform the temple into a church. The spaces between the pillars were enclosed but that has since been removed. Very similar to what happened with the Temple of Athena in Syracuse.
I’m glad it survived the ages.
Right outside the temple are a bunch of Christian tombs. They are buried all over the place out here.
Further down the misnamed valley is the Temple of Hercules, its origin dating back to the 6th century BCE.
All that has been rebuilt is the columns on the south side of the building. We have the English captain Alexander Hardcastle to thank for that. He put up 8 columns in 1921. Nice chap he is.
The Sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone and the Temple of Castor and Pollux. At the western end of the ridge is a vast religious area that devoted to these cults. Demeter and Persephone were mostly worshiped by women.
The Temple of Castor and Pollux was rebuilt using pieces that may have come from other temples and buildings. Oops. But it is now the symbol of the city of Agrigento.
The Olympeion was a giant temple to Zeus, and it is a big giant ruin today (being used as a quarry didn’t help). It’s actually hard to find. We missed it the first go around in the area. On a little plateau was a paved square in front of the temple. Today, you find ruins and these giant “atlas” guys, which are really hard to take pictures of when you are short.
Here’s a better angle.
The giant base of the Temple of Zeus.
Now we headed to the Hellenistic-Roman section of the city which was a long walk from the Ancient Greek side. It supposedly let out to the museum next door, but the gate was locked. We had to backtrack. It was very annoying. I will admit, walking through a partially excavated area was neat. I saw Roman pottery shards on the ground. It was pretty awesome.
A typical ruined Roman town.
There were some large townhouses here.
This one would have been pretty stately. Large atrium with columns and even an open dining area for the summer. Some of the mosaic floor still survives.
This house had a very nice floor in one of its rooms. A common but nice design.
Anyone need to go to the bathroom?
The Valley of the Temples, although misnamed, is a fantastic archaeological park to visit, an easy journey by train from Palermo. It’s best seen in the off season, not just because of crowds, but because there is very little shade. It can get very hot in Sicily. It was warm when I was there in December, even though the day started out as cloudy and threatening rain. I didn’t get a chance to see the museum or explore much of Agrigento, but there is plenty to see in the area for at least two days.
For the Valley of the Temples official website.
Check out my next update where I visit the most famous Ancient Roman ruins of all time, Pompeii!
Or
Explore the ruins of the Ancient Greek city at Assos, Turkey!
