The Ancient Temples Of Sicily
John Karastamatis, The Toronto Star, 11 Nov. 2004
"Think of him as an early Schwarzenegger," our guide says to describe the reputation of Hercules, the mythical ancient Greek hero.
Of course everyone knows about Hercules, but this reference to a contemporary strongman is one of the entertaining touches that spice the otherwise erudite commentary of Dr. Claudio Castiglione, who has been giving tours of Valley of the Temples since 1979.
Located in Agrigento, a city on the southern shore of Sicily, the Valley of the Temples is built on the crest of several hills.
The ancient buildings have miraculously survived 2,500 years in a region known for natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, and for countless wars.
One of only two UNESCO World Heritage sites on Sicily, the Valley is one of the must-sees on a visit to this majestic, tri-cornered island but is little known outside of Sicily.
"The Valley is one of the prime examples of the Golden Age of the Hellenistic civilization in Sicily," Claudio says.
"Of course Sicily is an Italian island, but its history is multifaceted. The Greeks were the first to settle this island in the 8th century BC; and their presence, which lasted 500 years, is still very much felt in our architecture, our cuisine, ours customs and even in some of our dialects.
"After the Greeks came the Romans, then the Byzantines, the Arabs, and the Normans."
In ancient times, there were 10 temples in the Valley. The ruins of five survive, some in better shape than others.
The Temple of Hera sits on the extreme eastern end of the Valley. Claudio points out the defining elements of Doric columns helps us visualize the interior of the derelict temple.
"All the temples were made of local sandstone that was finished with a stucco of white marble," Claudio explains."Not quite solid marble, but still very impressive."
By contrast, in the distance, on the hillside leading up from the Valley we can see the modern city of Agrigento, a tightly packed cluster of ugly apartment blocks that are made of poured cement.
In ancient times, this city was called Akragas, meaning high land, and was a city of 350,000 people. It was the fourth largest city in the known world, after Athens, Syracuse and Corinth.
Today, Agrigento has a population of 50,000.
"Andiamo! Andiamo!" Claudio says."Let's go! Let's go!"
He leads us to the next temple a few hundred metres farther down the paved path that in ancient times was a holy street.
The Temple of Concordia is the best preserved ancient Greek temple outside of Greece. It is a majestic site worthy of the Parthenon in Athens. Like its more famous Athenian cousin, it has served many masters over its history. The Byzantines turned it into a Christian church, the Arabs a mosque.
In Greek times, the temple was named after the twins Castor and Pollux. When the Romans took control, they renamed it after their twins, which are still with us as the astrological sign Gemini.
The Byzantines kept the dual tradition and named it after both St. Peter and St. Paul.
Concordia, which means agreement, was a compromise historians offered to honour all the past uses of the temple.
"That is the nature of human history," Claudio says."Temples are recycled, as are divinities. In the end they are all the same. Andiamo! Andiamo!"
As he leads us past olive and almond trees heavy with their fruit, oleander bushes in full bloom and cacti studded with fiery red prickly pears, he begins to sing in a rich tenor voice. Someone asks him what the song is.
"Come Back to Agrigento," he says."No, it's a joke. I'm singing Come Back to Sorento, but that city doesn't have exquisite Hellenistic temples like we do here."
As we descend the hill behind the Temple of Concordia, Claudio stops and points out the ruins of what appear to be cellars in the red earth.
"These are catacombs where the early Christians buried their dead," he explains.
At the Temple of Hercules, we find only eight columns remaining of the original.
It's the same story with the Temple of Zeus, which is now but a pile of bits and pieces of columns. When it was erected over a period of 74 years, this temple was the third largest in the Hellenistic world. It covered an area equal to a football field.
"Ancient Akragas was a very prosperous city," Claudio tells as we are looking at the ruins of the temple.
"Think of him as an early Schwarzenegger," our guide says to describe the reputation of Hercules, the mythical ancient Greek hero.
Of course everyone knows about Hercules, but this reference to a contemporary strongman is one of the entertaining touches that spice the otherwise erudite commentary of Dr. Claudio Castiglione, who has been giving tours of Valley of the Temples since 1979.
Located in Agrigento, a city on the southern shore of Sicily, the Valley of the Temples is built on the crest of several hills.
The ancient buildings have miraculously survived 2,500 years in a region known for natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, and for countless wars.
One of only two UNESCO World Heritage sites on Sicily, the Valley is one of the must-sees on a visit to this majestic, tri-cornered island but is little known outside of Sicily.
"The Valley is one of the prime examples of the Golden Age of the Hellenistic civilization in Sicily," Claudio says.
"Of course Sicily is an Italian island, but its history is multifaceted. The Greeks were the first to settle this island in the 8th century BC; and their presence, which lasted 500 years, is still very much felt in our architecture, our cuisine, ours customs and even in some of our dialects.
"After the Greeks came the Romans, then the Byzantines, the Arabs, and the Normans."
In ancient times, there were 10 temples in the Valley. The ruins of five survive, some in better shape than others.
The Temple of Hera sits on the extreme eastern end of the Valley. Claudio points out the defining elements of Doric columns helps us visualize the interior of the derelict temple.
"All the temples were made of local sandstone that was finished with a stucco of white marble," Claudio explains."Not quite solid marble, but still very impressive."
By contrast, in the distance, on the hillside leading up from the Valley we can see the modern city of Agrigento, a tightly packed cluster of ugly apartment blocks that are made of poured cement.
In ancient times, this city was called Akragas, meaning high land, and was a city of 350,000 people. It was the fourth largest city in the known world, after Athens, Syracuse and Corinth.
Today, Agrigento has a population of 50,000.
"Andiamo! Andiamo!" Claudio says."Let's go! Let's go!"
He leads us to the next temple a few hundred metres farther down the paved path that in ancient times was a holy street.
The Temple of Concordia is the best preserved ancient Greek temple outside of Greece. It is a majestic site worthy of the Parthenon in Athens. Like its more famous Athenian cousin, it has served many masters over its history. The Byzantines turned it into a Christian church, the Arabs a mosque.
In Greek times, the temple was named after the twins Castor and Pollux. When the Romans took control, they renamed it after their twins, which are still with us as the astrological sign Gemini.
The Byzantines kept the dual tradition and named it after both St. Peter and St. Paul.
Concordia, which means agreement, was a compromise historians offered to honour all the past uses of the temple.
"That is the nature of human history," Claudio says."Temples are recycled, as are divinities. In the end they are all the same. Andiamo! Andiamo!"
As he leads us past olive and almond trees heavy with their fruit, oleander bushes in full bloom and cacti studded with fiery red prickly pears, he begins to sing in a rich tenor voice. Someone asks him what the song is.
"Come Back to Agrigento," he says."No, it's a joke. I'm singing Come Back to Sorento, but that city doesn't have exquisite Hellenistic temples like we do here."
As we descend the hill behind the Temple of Concordia, Claudio stops and points out the ruins of what appear to be cellars in the red earth.
"These are catacombs where the early Christians buried their dead," he explains.
At the Temple of Hercules, we find only eight columns remaining of the original.
It's the same story with the Temple of Zeus, which is now but a pile of bits and pieces of columns. When it was erected over a period of 74 years, this temple was the third largest in the Hellenistic world. It covered an area equal to a football field.
"Ancient Akragas was a very prosperous city," Claudio tells as we are looking at the ruins of the temple.