Since only men were allowed to perform in antiquity, the theatre masks were light in colour when the actor played a female role, and dark for male roles, and had openings at the eyes and mouth. The masks amplified the actors' voices and, thanks to their pronounced shapes, made the characters recog...

Theatrical masks were used from the 5th century BC. They were light in colour when the actor played a female role, and dark for male characters, and had openings at the eyes and mouth. The mask's main purpose was to show immediately certain features that would allow characters to be recognised eve...

The Eleutheria were established in Syracuse to commemorate the fall of the tyrant Thrasybulus and the expulsion of the Dinomenidi family in 466 BC. These festivities were dedicated to Zeus Eleutherios, the liberator, and took place every four years in a solemn ceremony: at dawn all the inhabitants ...

It is said that Ortigia had a deep connection with a Greek island in the Aegean sea, Delos. Both islands, in fact, in ancient times, had the same name. The Greek Ortigia then changed its name to Delos, a word that derives from the greek word Deloo: "luminous island", as the legend tells that there...

The Jews of Syracuse were not only great traders, but experts in the arts of mechanics and metals, in particular in copper and iron working. The blacksmith trade was very popular in Giudecca and was often passed down from father to son. The workshops were responsible for both the creation and sa...

The Jews were not only big traders, but also experts in the mechanical arts and in metallurgy, mainly in copper and iron. Many Jews held the blacksmith profession, often handed down from father to son and were also active in the sale of their products: cauldrons, keys, nails and other items....

Venus Anadyomene, also called Venus Landolina, is a deity who "rises from the sea", just like the city of Syracuse. The statue, a copy from the Roman age in the 2nd century AD, is kept at the "Paolo Orsi" Archaeological Museum in Syracuse. [caption id="attachment_6702" align="aligncenter" width=...

According to Jewish religion, Shechita is the slaughtering of certain animals considered pure enough for human consumption, with the exclusion of blood, fat and nerves. The animal must be killed "with respect and compassion" by a shochet, a "ritual butcher" trained to perform this task. The butche...

The Second Punic War was fought between Rome and Carthage between 218 BC and 202 BC, first in Europe then in Africa. At the end of the fighting, Hannibal was defeated at Zama while the Roman general Scipio was victorious and nicknamed "Scipio the African"....

After the ruinous end for Carthage in the First Punic War, it decided to consolidate its trade role by expanding its rule in Spain. In the meantime, the Romans had entered into an alliance treaty with Sagunto, a Spanish city that had requested protection from the Carthaginian threat. The siege of ...