The public places of Agrigentum

The centre of politics in Agrigentum

The places of Akragas that suffered most from the arrival of the Latin conquerors were those where the city’s political life took place, because of the cultural differences between the ancient Romans and Greeks: the advent of the Romans marked a new era for the politics of Agrigentum; the changes in the use of public buildings for this purpose constitute irrefutable proof.
There were substantially two places of political debate in ancient Akragas, located in the area known as Poggio di San Nicola, where today there is also the Regional Archaeological Museum “Pietro Griffo”: the ekklesiasterion , on the south side, and the bouleuterion the north terrace.
Il centro della politica ad AgrigentumAs for the first building, the seat of the assemblies where Greek citizens with voting rights met, it was immediately abandoned and replaced by a small temple with an altar known as the Oratorio di Falaride (Oratory of Phalaris), although the place has no connection with the terrible tyrant of ancient Akragas. The bouleuterion, on the other hand, a space used for the council of the great thinkers of Greek cities, was reused for city senate meetings.
Cicero wrote that this political body was composed of the most notable citizens of Agrigentum in terms of wealth, authority and power relating to political clientèle, and its composition was regulated by a law of Publius Scipio .

The Roman necropolis

The tomb of Theron

Moments of leisure: the theatre

The cult of the Emperor

The gods of Agrigento

Cicero’s account: Agrigentum in In Verrem

Mens sana in corpore sano: the gymnasium of Agrigento

Breathing in world heritage together

The sarcophagus of the Child

The wellness centres of the Romans

The Hellenistic-Roman quarter

The domus, guardians of private life

Roman affairs

A Sanctuary for the Latin gods

An exceptional discovery: the thermal baths of Agrigentum

Politics comparison: Akragas and Agrigentum

The Romans settle in Agrigentum

From Akragas to Agrigentum

The driver of Agrigentum’s well-being

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

The theatre of origins

The Living Almond Museum

The ancient port of Agrigentum

The provincial layout of Sicily

The Oratory of Phalaris

The Kolymbetra Garden

Vegetation in the Gardens

Hellenistic heritage on the streets of Agrigentum

The Punic Wars and the final conquest of Akragas

The forum in the city of the Akragantines

The centre of politics in Agrigentum

The life of young people in Roman times