The celebrations for the city's patron saint are a joyful event for young and old people alike. On 13th December, St. Lucy's Day, there is a procession. The statue of the Saint is carried on the worshippers' shoulders throughout the city, amidst fireworks, shouting and applause. Everyone shouts in ...

Artemis, twin sister of the god Apollo, is the deity of wild nature, hunting and animals. This figure was very dear to the people of Syracuse. A large temple called Artemision was dedicated to Artemis. The remains of the temple can be found today under the Town Hall....

In Judaism, the mikveh is a ritual purification bath. The word literally means "a collection", usually "of water". Immersion in the bath must be complete (not even one hair can remain above water). The mikveh represents a womb: like a child coming out of the amniotic fluid to be born, the practic...

The word gladiator comes from the Latin glaudius, meaning sword. Gladiators were slaves or criminals who were forced to fight for the audience's entertainment. They were armed with a sword to defend themselves and to attack. At the end of the fight it was up to the spectators to decide whether o...

Most coins from ancient Akragas were coined with the depiction of an eagle on the obverse and the image of a crab on the reverse. The eagle was one of the symbols of Agrigento, the bird of Zeus, the greatest power; [caption id="attachment_13645" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] The vast majorit...

The Porte Scee were the majestic gates of the ancient city of Troy, which, over time, gave their name to a specific architectural element. They were twisted, crooked gates that interrupted the straight perimeter of the walls. In addition, the gates were reinforced to their right by a tower, where ...

The foundations are the architectural elements that bear the weight of a structure by transmitting it to the ground below, so as to ensure absolute stability to the building. For this reason, they lean much deeper than the average level of the ground....

Aquifers are deposits of water found underground. These water collections are created because in some points the rocks are impermeable and thus prevent water from penetrating the ground; on the other hand, the water stagnates until it forms accumulations that, due to the force of gravity, often be...

"Chthonic Deities" is another way to refer to Demeter and Persephone. The term chthonic in Greek actually means underground. In Greek mythology it indicated all deities whose myth was connected to terrestrial or underground life. In this sense, Hades, god of the underworld, can also be thought...

The Greek colonies were cities designed and built by the Greeks outside of their homeland territories. They were formed as veritable cities separate to the homeland which imported festivities, rituals and traditions. Even their population came from the homeland city: architects for buildings, le...