When Virgil published the Aeneid, Syracuse and its shores were a name already well known to the Greek and Roman world. As a matter of fact, Ortygia, gathered in the embrace of the "Plemmyrium ondosum" gulf, is mentioned by the Latin poet, who provides this immortal caption of the place: "Across the...

Iron is one of the most widespread and abundant metals on Earth. It is usually found bound to other chemical elements such as carbon or nickel, and very rarely found in its pure state; the small amounts of pure iron on our planet are probably of extra-terrestrial origin, brought here by meteorites. ...

Dionysius was tyrant of Syracuse for a long time. He was very interested in art and literature, but is best known for his evil and suspicious character. The years of his tyranny are in fact remembered as a period of real terror. It seems that Dionysius trusted no one: to avoid relying on a barber,...

The wealth of the inhabitants of Agrigento was known throughout Sicily. History offers us some anecdotes about a rich and well known Akragantine character named Gellia who, in her wine cellars, had three hundred barrels dug directly into the rock, each of which could contain as many as one hundred...

The orchestra is a circular or semicircular area at the base of the cavea. This space was dedicated to the choir performance. The choir members, called choralists, walked or danced together, commented using song on what was happening on stage and sometimes intervened directly in the action. ...

In a wealth of detail, the Siceliot historian Diodorus Siculus recounted the epochal undertaking of the construction of the Dionysian Walls and the Euryalus Fortress, describing the various phases of construction. As reported by the Agira-born writer, 70,000 slaves and 6,000 oxen divided into teams...

In recent years, the grounds of the park have been salvaged and developed by the Valley of the Temples Archaeological Park. In the plain below the Temple of Hera Lacinia there are vineyards of particular interest, selected over the years by local growers.These luxuriant vines produce the red wine ...

Damokopos was a Greek architect who lived around the 5th century BC. As reported in the chronicles, he was responsible for the construction of the theatre of Syracuse, described by the historian Diodorus as "the most beautiful theatre in Sicily" (XVI, 83.3). It is said that Damokopos was given the ...

A cubiculum, from the Latin verb cubare meaning "to lie, to rest", was a burial chamber in the catacombs. This term was exclusively Christian; pagans used it to refer to secondary bedrooms, children's or guest bedrooms. The shape of this space varied: it could be circular, semi-circular, square, t...

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. ...