The Panhellenic games were sporting events involving all the cities of ancient Greece. The most important ones were held in Olympia in honour of Zeus, but there were also the Pythian Games in Delphi, the Nemean Games in Nemea and the Isthmian Games in Corinth, all dedicated to different deities. ...

The colours that the ancients used to decorate their magnificent temples could be plant, animal or mineral in origin. Minerals called haematite and cinnabar, or ox blood, were used to produce red. Yellow was extracted from another mineral called limonite, blue from azurite, and green from malachi...

The founders of Akragas were the descendants of the Greek settlers who had founded Gela one century before, a town around 80 km south of Agrigento. This population originated from the Greek islands of Rhodes and Crete, which is why they are referred to as Rhodium-Cretan....

Horse-drawn chariot races were one of the most anticipated events, but also one of the most dangerous. The charioteers who drove the wagons had to be young, tall and light to manage these vehicles fitted with agile wooden wheels, and avoid slowing them down with their weight. The race involved t...

In the Garden of Kolymbetra, in addition to the citrus fruits that sweeten the surroundings with their scent, there are thousand-year-old olive trees. These evergreen plants belong to the Oleaceae family and are particularly good at standing the test of time. They even have the ability to rege...

The term initiates refers to people who are admitted to certain religious practices or cults through an initiation rite. After being initiated, they are admitted to the knowledge of secret rites and practices...

The term ex-voto comes from the Latin phrase "ex voto suscepto", meaning "from the vow made". In fact, ex-votos were small objects such as terracotta statuettes or painted tablets, which worshippers took to sanctuaries as offerings to the gods, to thank them for granting their requests or to make ...

Gelon was born in Gela in 540 BC. He was ruler of Gela (491-485 BC), then of Syracuse from 485 BC until his death. During his life he was given important military and diplomatic assignments in matters relating to Magna Graecia. Thanks to the marriage of his daughter Demarete to Theron, he marrie...

In Greek temples, pediments were the triangular spaces placed on the short sides, above the architrave. They were often decorated inside with statues or relief that recounted mythological events, such as the Gigantomachy and the Trojan War, in order to make the power of their people and their deitie...

An architectural structure that forms the base of a building. It can be built on the laying surface, at ground level, or below ground, in a more stable area....