Though the advent of the Romans seemed at first to be a precursor of a bloody domination, destroying the splendour of ancient Akragas, described in depth by
Goethe
centuries later, in 198 BC, Titus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus began the reconstruction of the ruins of Agrigentum, which saw genuine cohabitation between the Akragantines who escaped the conflicts, the conquering Romans and the settlers arriving from other parts of the island to repopulate the city.
During the 2nd century BC, despite the growth and prosperity that characterised the city, with the monumentalisation of the public area and the construction of new lavish houses for its citizens, there were also some moments of instability.
The lush countryside around the village was run by rich Italic landowners who, through the hard work of slaves, exploited it to obtain fruits and products to be exchanged in local trades and sent to Rome and Italy. The abuse and mistreatment to which the slaves were constantly subjected by their masters, culminated with the outbreak of the
servile wars
, two events that severely tested the political balance of the city and the whole of Sicily in general.
Still, in the 1st century BC, during the governorship of
Verres
, Sicily and consequently Agrigentum were at the centre of scandals due to bad public administration, written about by Cicero, former quaestor and great orator, in his
In Verrem
.
