Island Hopping 2024: Giarratana, Agrigento

 Monday April 22: This morning we headed back to the unforgettable Greek Archaeological site at Agrigento.  This was a top priority on Glenn’s sites to see while in Sicily and justifiably so.  Sandy and I, having already visited the Valley of the Temples, spent our time going through the very impressive Pietro Griffo Archaeological Museum.

The colossi were 26 feet tall, and would be on platforms at least that high above the ground level of the temple.  Imagine walking up to the temple and looking up and seeing 38 of these guys holding up the roof the equivalent of a five story building overhead.

This museum which predominantly holds many of the artifacts that were uncovered in the excavation of the Temples was not crowded and was extremely interesting.  It held artifacts dating from the pre-history period of the indigenous peoples of Sicily through the Greek period, and even a few Roman artifacts.  Conspicuously absent, anything Carthaginian.  Those Romans were pretty thorough in erasing Carthage from the historical records.  In fairness to Rome, Carthage did not hold Agrigentum (modern day Agrigento) long.  The city was conquered by the Carthaginians in 406 BC during the Sicilian Wars and remained under Carthaginian control until it was captured by the Romans in 210 BC during the Second Punic War. So, Carthage held Agrigentum for roughly 196 years.  Hardly enough time to grab a cup of coffee in the long continuum of history.

Giving perspective to one of the colossi

Several colossi heads were excavated and on display in the museum 

This one has a pleasant smile, all the heads were to be different

This is a model of how the completed temple would have looked.  The Greeks of Agrigentum began building this temple to thank Zeus for their great victory over the Carthaginians.  Its construction was halted because before it was complete, they had another war with Carthage which they lost.  It seems that Agrigento could have spent their resources better by strengthening their defenses and army, than by doing a happy dance with the building of this temple

Amongst the artifacts were one of the earliest depictions of the Trinacria (the three legged symbol of Sicily), many remarkably preserved vases and funerary urns, several ancient bathtubs, and sarcophagi.  But, to me, the star of the show was the giant colossus, reconstructed from the actual stones excavated from the temple of Olympian Zeus.  This giant along with 37 of its brothers were intended to be incorporated into the temple.  The Temple was never completed, and only a few of these giants were installed, much the pity.  

Pre-Greek indigenous vessels

Grecian Pottery excavated from the Valley of the Temples

Greek metal work

The helmeted Athena, a signature symbol of Agentium

A life sized marble sculpture found at the archaeological site

The temple of Concordia as seen from the Oratory

One of the earliest depictions of the Trinacria, first an astronomical symbol representing the rotating sun, (pre-Greek).  Later, adapted as the symbol of Sicily with the three legs representing the three capes of the island 

After viewing the artifacts in the museum Sandy and I visited the oratory just outside of it.  The oratory is like a small theatre where the political decisions were made.

The ancient center of the Agrgentium City-State government, the Oratory

We came home just in time to head out to the Eventi Divini for another noteworthy dinner.  

Dinner at Eventi Divini

An antipasto to die for (actually we got into it a little before we remembered to take the picture)