Presentation on the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, Sicily.

1. AGRIGENTO: VALLEY OF THE TEMPLES
MATTHEW RINGDAHL
MARCH 1, 2015

2. INTRODUCTION
The city of Akragas, now called Agrigento, was first settled as a Greek
colony in the 6th century B.C. As one of the major archaeological sites in
the world, it was designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 1997. This
site provides a rare opportunity to view structures that were erected over
2,000 years ago. Societies today can learn from the mistakes made by
the people of Agrigento, who were unable to maintain the high status of
the city, which eventually collapsed. However, the site is mainly
presented as a place to see marvelous structures, rather than a place for
education.

3. BRIEF HISTORY OF AGRIGENTO
After being founded by the Greeks, Agrigento began its long history of
being the center of many wars, first being taken over by the
Carthaginians in 406 B.C. The Carthaginians did not maintain the city as
well as the Greeks had, and it lost some of its status of excellence as a
city.
In 210 B.C., Agrigento was taken over by the Romans who utilized the
city’s strategic position, making it a major commercial city. The city
flourished until the Roman Empire began to fall and Christianity began
taking over the region. The Christians did not have a need for the
temples in the city, so they were all either converted into churches,
destroyed, or abandoned. Without the support it had had for so long
from Rome, Agrigento saw a rise in poverty and many people began to
leave for more populated cities. Beginning around 700 A.D., the city was
essentially abandoned, with only a very small population remaining in the

4. SOCIETY IN AGRIGENTO
Agrigento featured a complex society, with a specific social and
political structure. The political structure took many different forms over
the years, as the city was constantly being taken over by new
governments that practiced different versions of oligarchies and
democracies. It is clear that a well structured government was in charge
of developing the massive temples, which still stand today, and the
aqueducts that provided water throughout the city. The power and
structure of the government is also clear in that a barracks was erected
to house soldiers in the city.

5. ARCHAEOLOGICAL WORK
The site was first excavated in 1809 by Domenico Antonio Lo Faso
Pietrasanta. At the time, this man was known very well throughout the
field of archaeology and he was the President of the Commission of
Antiquities of Fine Art in Italy. Because he was excavating the site before
so many archaeological methods and theories were developed, he
utilized basic methods of scientific archaeology. Using this method,
Domenico Antonio Lo Faso Pietrasanta worked backwards from history to
prehistory, determining the many political and societal changes that took
place in the area.
Since the first excavations were completed, archaeologists have
mainly been working to preserve the sites. However, excavations
sponsored by the Italian government are still carried out today and have
uncovered thousands of artifacts, which can be seen in the
Archaeological Museum of Agrigento. Excavations have also uncovered

6. TEMPLES OF AGRIGENTO
The temples listed below are the main attractions for visitors to the region
today. The site has been well preserved, but unfortunately does not provide
much for visitors in terms of education on the history of the city.
 Hera
 Lacinia
 Concordia
 Heracles
 Olympian Zeus
 Castor and Pollux
 Hephaistos

7. PUBLIC OUTREACH
When it was at its prime, Agrigento was a flourishing city full of life and
culture. The city was the only Roman market town on the southern coast
of Sicily. However, the people were unable to support themselves when
the Roman Empire began to fall.
An important lesson to take away from this situation is that local
governments must have a solid foundation so that cities do not fall apart
when the state government fails. If Agrigento had a solid government, it
would not have been completely dependent on the rest of the Roman
Empire and it could have continued to be a rich city, both economically
and culturally.

8. CONCLUSION
The Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, Sicily is a spectacular place to
see structures that have been standing for over 2,000 years. The attention
to detail in the construction of the temples is amazing, considering the
technology that would have been available for the workers to use. The
site was once home to a major commercial hub in the Mediterranean,
with goods going to and from other parts of Europe, Eurasia, and Africa.
It is very unfortunate that the site does not provide much education on
the culture of the people that occupied Agrigento. Learning about the
issues and factors that led to their demise could possibly help world
leaders deal with issues seen today.

9. SOURCES
UNESCO (2015). Archaeological area of Agrigento. Retrieved from
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/831/