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...

Originally from Palermo, Ignazio Marabitti was a sculptor, considered one of the greatest Sicilian artists. He studied in Rome, at the studio of Filippo della Valle, one of the famous sculptors who worked on the Trevi Fountain. Marabitti began to work independently in Syracuse, where, in addition ...

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...

Gladiators were divided into students and instructors, and were given different types of weapons according to their physical aptitudes: the Samnites carried a rectangular shield and a short sword; the Thracians protected themselves with a small wheel and handled a curved dagger; the Murmillones, w...

In Greek or Roman architecture, the final part of the cornice was called "cymatium moulding", often equipped with holes for the drainage of rainwater from roofs, called rain gutter channels, generally decorated with lion heads. Cymatium moulding was often decorated with palmettes or other decorativ...

The first capital on the right depicts St. John: a nimbate eagle, with its head surrounded by intense light, holds a plaque in its claws on which is engraved a passage from the Gospel taken from St. John. The second capital on the right shows a winged lion and also holds a plaque engraved with a pa...

The Siceliotes, a term derived from ancient Greek, were the inhabitants of the Greek cities of Sicily. They initially spread to the eastern and southern coasts of the island in the main cities: Syrakousai, Ghelas and Akragas. The Siceliotes were given this name to distinguish them from the Greeks ...

The skené is a construction found in front of the cavea. In the first theatres it was made of wood and was very simple. Its original function was practical: to provide actors with a secluded place to get ready without being seen, like a modern curtain. It was soon used as a scenic backdrop for ...

The burning mirrors, together with other surprising war machines, were allegedly used by Archimedes during the siege of Syracuse by the Romans. The only explicit references to the burning mirrors can be found in the lost work of the Latin historian Cassius Dio, which has been passed down to the pre...

Francesco Saverio Cavallari was born in Palermo in 1809 and was an architect, painter, archaeologist and professor. From 1826 he worked for the Duke of Serradifalco in archaeological explorations in Sicily. In 1884 he arrived in Syracuse, where he dedicated all his energy to the reorganisation and...