In the area at the mouth of the river Akragas, in an area characterised by a
sandy dune
, today only partially preserved, stood the port of the ancient city of Agrigento, which later became the Roman then the Byzantine city.
The place is remembered by Diodorus, Polybius and Livy as an
emporium
detached from the city which was in fact inland, about 3 km from the sea.
Since the 1920s, excavation campaigns have been carried out on the left side of the river mouth and the evidence found there has made it possible to ascertain that the port of Agrigento was one of the most important junctions in the Mediterranean, involved in the routes to Africa and Rome, as well as an essential stop for short distance coastal navigation.
In addition to some brickwork structures attributed to warehouses and a well, two nuclei of burials with amphorae of African production dating from between the 6th and 7th centuries AD have been brought to light.
The
coins
found in the area of the archaeological park confirm that the exchanges with these countries, in fact, have much older roots. In addition to those of Akragas, typologies have been found from Carthage and some cities in Greece such as Athens and Corinth, as well as from the most important cities of Magna Graecia: Naples, Taranto, Reggio and Sibari.
The
stamps
of the Italic terra sigillata pottery found in the Hellenistic-Roman quarter also confirmed flourishing trade with the potters of central Italy.
