Agrigentum in Roman times

Cicero’s account: Agrigentum in In Verrem

At the behest of the Sicilians, with whom a few years earlier he had proven himself to be an excellent quaestor of Lilybaeum , Cicero returned to Sicily and landed at Heraclea, where he was welcomed by a population that demanded justice for the misdeeds it had suffered.
In spite of the bad public administration for which he hurled fierce abuse at Verres, Cicero’s belief that the government of Rome was the best thing that could happen to Sicily was clearly evident in his In Verrem.
Indeed, once it became Agrigentum, the city went through a period which, although disturbed by minor conflicts over the years, allowed for its economic and cultural development.
The Agrigentines, defined in the work as fortissimi viri, diligentissimi aratores (valiant and diligent farmers), lived peacefully in their city together with the many Roman citizens who had settled there afterwards. Though the melting pot of cultures established there was therefore very varied, the civic body of the city was very cohesive, and the Greek part of the population, custodians of ancestral memories, was so highly considered that the majority of seats in the Senate were assigned to former inhabitants of the polis.
To confirm this fact, the texts of In Verrem tell of the story of Verres’ attempt to steal the statue of the god Hercules from the temple of the same name, as well as the unanimous reaction of the citizens who, once the alarm was raised, took collective action to avoid the plundering of the sacred building.
Tempio di Eracle

A Sanctuary for the Latin gods

Politics comparison: Akragas and Agrigentum

The Romans settle in Agrigentum

Cicero’s account: Agrigentum in In Verrem

The Hellenistic-Roman quarter

The Living Almond Museum

The sarcophagus of the Child

Breathing in world heritage together

The provincial layout of Sicily

The centre of politics in Agrigentum

Vegetation in the Gardens

Moments of leisure: the theatre

From Akragas to Agrigentum

An exceptional discovery: the thermal baths of Agrigentum

The theatre of origins

The tomb of Theron

The Punic Wars and the final conquest of Akragas

The ancient port of Agrigentum

The domus, guardians of private life

Works for the muses: the mosaics of the Hellenistic-Roman quarter

Roman affairs

Mens sana in corpore sano: the gymnasium of Agrigento

The cult of the Emperor

The life of young people in Roman times

The driver of Agrigentum’s well-being

The Kolymbetra Garden

The forum in the city of the Akragantines

Hellenistic heritage on the streets of Agrigentum

The wellness centres of the Romans

The Roman necropolis

The gods of Agrigento

The Oratory of Phalaris