In 409 BC the troops of Carthage landed in Sicily, commanded by
Hannibal
and Himilco.
The people of Agrigento, who were mainly engaged in trade and agriculture, lacked military spirit. In 406 BC, when the Carthaginians’ offensive turned towards Agrigento, they realised they had no chance and abandoned the besieged city, though its walls still stood. Fugitives arrived in Gela and relocated to Lentini. In the meantime the Carthaginians, having entered the city, brutally destroyed it, demolishing the walls and the necropolises. In the end, a terrible fire was set that engulfed the town and the sacred buildings.
The booty collected by the invaders in Agrigento was huge: at the time, Akragas was described as luxurious and colourful and was the richest of all Greek cities in Sicily, not only for its precious metals but for the works of art that crowded the streets.
And so the sun began to set on the beautiful city: it took several decades before
Timoleon
began to rebuild and repopulate it, but despite his efforts it never returned to the ancient splendour of Akragas.
