The most evocative part of the complex is the 17th-century Baroque temple, located in the centre of the catacombs, which houses the Martyr's tomb. The relics were kept here until the year 1039 when the Byzantine general Giorgio Maniace brought St. Lucy's body to Constantinople to pay homage to the ...

In the time of Hiero II, an underground corridor was built which crossed the entire orchestra of the theatre. The recess was accessed by a ladder that led from the stage to a small room: this set-up was identified as Charon's Staircase. The name of this scenic device immediately provides a clue as...

The Naumachiae were naval combat performances that reproduced important historical battles such as the Greek victory over the Persians at Salamis, or even the Athenian siege of the city of Syracuse. The spectators followed, with rapt attention, every stage of the performance, taking sides, just as ...

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 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...

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 ...