The spaces of private life

The driver of Agrigentum’s well-being

That the citizens of Agrigentum lived in comfort and well-being is nothing new.
First Akragas, then Agrigentum, was renowned for the wealth of its inhabitants and the remarkable decorations and works of art that adorned the city.
According to archaeologists, the wealth of the domus, and also of the necropolis of Agrigentum, was largely driven by the flourishing sulphur trade, extracted from the mines inland and transported throughout the Mediterranean from the city’s port.
The numerous tegulae sulphuris (clay tablets) found in the area suggest flourishing sulphur mining and trade activity during the Roman imperial age: the most documented workshop is that of the Annii, a gens from Campania, which exerted such an influence in Agrigentum that it was also mentioned in the inscription dedicated to the sons of Augustus, on the gymnasium seats.
Other archaeological finds in the area highlight the importance of this material for the Agrigentine territory starting from the 2nd millennium BC, in prehistoric times , until the moving literary testimony of exponents of Italian literature such as Giovanni Verga and Luigi Pirandello, who decided to recount the tragic living conditions of the sulphur miners in the quarries at the end of the 19th century.
In particular, Pirandello, originally from Porto Empedocle, decided to set his novel Ciàula scopre la luna (Ciàula discovers the moon) in the Taccia Caci sulphur mine where his father had worked.

From Akragas to Agrigentum

The wellness centres of the Romans

The Living Almond Museum

The life of young people in Roman times

The sarcophagus of the Child

The Roman necropolis

Mens sana in corpore sano: the gymnasium of Agrigento

Breathing in world heritage together

An exceptional discovery: the thermal baths of Agrigentum

The gods of Agrigento

The Romans settle in Agrigentum

Hellenistic heritage on the streets of Agrigentum

A Sanctuary for the Latin gods

The provincial layout of Sicily

The driver of Agrigentum’s well-being

The cult of the Emperor

The theatre of origins

The Oratory of Phalaris

The tomb of Theron

The forum in the city of the Akragantines

The ancient port of Agrigentum

Vegetation in the Gardens

Roman affairs

The centre of politics in Agrigentum

Politics comparison: Akragas and Agrigentum

The Kolymbetra Garden

The Hellenistic-Roman quarter

Moments of leisure: the theatre

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

The domus, guardians of private life

Cicero’s account: Agrigentum in In Verrem

The Punic Wars and the final conquest of Akragas