The public places of Agrigentum

Hellenistic heritage on the streets of Agrigentum

When the Romans arrived in Agrigentum in 210 BC, many citizens settled there, together with people from other parts of Sicily. Archaeological evidence from the settlement clearly shows that in Roman times, the perimeter of the city was reduced considerably, while maintaining the Hellenistic urban organisation of ancient Akragas.
In the 1950s, the first technologies based on aerial photogrammetry allowed Schmiedt and Griffo to produce photos that, thanks to aerial framing, made it possible to appreciate the city’s urban layout, Hippodamian in type, with stenopoi and plateiai that created blocks of 35 metres by crossing orthogonally.
In order to study the network of roads that crossed the urban centre in ancient times even more closely, today the Archaeological Park of the Valley of the Temples conducts investigations using remote sensing , in collaboration with other research institutions.
Despite the reduced perimeter of the urban area, from the 2nd century BC the city of Agrigentum experienced a period of monumentalisation not only of the public area, with the construction of the forum, majestic porticoes and sanctuaries, but also of private houses, which were increasingly sumptuous and built according to the layout of the Roman domus.
Retaggi ellenistici per le strade di Agrigentum
While respecting Greek tradition, Rome as a coloniser clearly left its mark in the city’s physiognomy, the result of which is a mixture of styles still evident today in the archaeological site.

The Roman necropolis

The provincial layout of Sicily

Roman affairs

Vegetation in the Gardens

The gods of Agrigento

The Kolymbetra Garden

The Punic Wars and the final conquest of Akragas

Cicero’s account: Agrigentum in In Verrem

Moments of leisure: the theatre

The tomb of Theron

The theatre of origins

The cult of the Emperor

Hellenistic heritage on the streets of Agrigentum

Mens sana in corpore sano: the gymnasium of Agrigento

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

Breathing in world heritage together

The domus, guardians of private life

Politics comparison: Akragas and Agrigentum

The sarcophagus of the Child

The forum in the city of the Akragantines

An exceptional discovery: the thermal baths of Agrigentum

The Romans settle in Agrigentum

The centre of politics in Agrigentum

A Sanctuary for the Latin gods

The Oratory of Phalaris

The driver of Agrigentum’s well-being

The wellness centres of the Romans

From Akragas to Agrigentum

The Living Almond Museum

The Hellenistic-Roman quarter

The ancient port of Agrigentum

The life of young people in Roman times