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Syracuse, Greek Theatre - Photo (c)
MarianOne
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Greek Syracuse
Syracuse
Once described by Cicero as
"the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all",
the ancient core of Syracuse is part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. Of Corinthian origin, the city was founded by Archia
in 734 B.C. A notable economic and military development quickly
followed.
After conquering the nearby cities it won important battles
against the Carthaginians and Etruscans, thus coming to dominate the
entire western Mediterranean.
Politically it alternated tyranny with
periods of democracy, attaining great splendor in the arts and in
letters (as may be seen by the presence of Aeschylus, Simonides,
Bacchylides and Pindar).
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Of its ancient splendor there remain: the
Theater; the Temples of Apollo, Olympian Jove and Athena; the Altar of Hiero II; the "Latomie" (quarries used as prisons) ; the Eurialo Castle.
 Megara
Hyblea
One of the first Greek colonies in Sicily, it was
founded by Lamis of Megara in 728 B.C., later destroyed by Gelon and
subsequently refunded by Timoleonte in 340 B.C. Its development was
hampered by the proximity of such powerful neighbors as Lentini and'
Siracusa. Important archaeological material has been unearthed, such as
the City Walls, the Agora with the remains of monumental buildings, and
a series of arterial roads that give us a glimpse of the overall town
plan. The Megarians were also the founders of Selinunte.
Lentini (Leontinoi)
Founded in 729 B.C. by the Chalcidians of Naxos, who
were attracted by the fertility of the plain. Fallen under the rule
first of Siracusa and then of Rome, in the end it was destroyed and
sacked. Visible remains include the City Walls, the Necropolis and
valuable finds that are preserved in a small Archaeological Museum.
Palazzolo Acreide - "Santoni"
Palazzolo Acreide (Akrai)
Colony under Siracusan dominion founded as a military
outpost in 664 B.C. The most important remaining monuments are: the
Theater, the meeting-place of the Council, the "Latomie" and some
rock-incisions representing divinities (the so-called "Santoni").
Eloro
First colony to be founded by Siracusa at the end of
the 8th cent. B.C. in a strategic position, further south on the
Sicilian coast, from which it was possible to dominate the fertile
valley crossed by the Asinaro and Tellaro rivers.
Courtesy of
www.ibmsnet.it
(c) 1997-2008 E. Massetti
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