Sicilia Agrigento 1 Valle dei Templi

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Valle dei Templi
Agrigento

Presenter Notes
Ancient Akragas , in its hey-day, was a
flourishing cultural centre it gave the world
Empedocles, the pre-socratic philosopher, whose
concept of matter as divided into four elements-
Earth, Air, Fire and Water- was the foundation of
science for many centuries to come. The city
attracted poets like Simonides and Pyndar who
described it as "the most beautiful of mortal
cities".

In Roman times, Agrigento was visited by Cicero
in search of evidence of pro-consul Verres' abuse
of power and later described by Virgil in the
Eneid. From the Middle Ages up to modern times,
its remains, landscapes, flora, colours and the
echo of lost civilizations have inspired poets,
writers and painters Ludovico Ariosto, Wolfgang
Goethe, Guy de Maupassant, Alexandre Dumas,
Anatole France, Murilo Mendes, Lawrence Durrell,
E.M.Forster, Francesco Lojacono, Nicolas de
Stael, Salvatore Quasimodo, Luigi Pirandello.





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"To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is
not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the
clue to everything." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Presenter Notes
Perched on a hill overlooking the ocean on one
side and Agrigento on the other is The Valley of
the Temples. This is the finest collection of
Greek temples in Europe and the temple of Concord
is the world's best preserved Greek Temple.

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Agrigento
Agrigento  (Sicilian Girgenti), is a city on the
southern coast of Sicily, and capital of the
province of Agrigento. It is renowned as the site
of the ancient Greek city of Akragas in Greek,
Agrigentum in Latin and Kirkent or Jirjent in
Arabic, one of the leading cities of Magna
Graecia during the golden age of Ancient
Greece. Agrigento (în dialect Sicilian
Girgenti), orasul situat pe coasta de sud a
Siciliei, este capitala provinciei cu acelasi
nume. Cunoscut ca fiind vechiul Akragas al
Magnei Grecia, Agrigentum în timpul Imperiului
Roman, redenumit apoi Kirkent sau Jirjent de
arabi, Agrigento a fost unul dintre orasele de
frunte din Magna Grecia în timpul epocii de aur a
Greciei Antice..

Presenter Notes
Orasul ale carui baze au fost puse de colonistii
greci din Gela in 582 i.e.n. s-a numit Akragas -
in greaca Agrigentum - in latin Kirken - in
araba. Agrigento s-a dezvoltat in perioada de
aur a Greciei. In 406 i.e.n. este asediat si
distrus de cartaginezi. In 260, dupa razboiaele
punice, este luat de romani, iar dupa moartea lui
Cezar in 44 i.e.n. locuitorii primesc toti
cetatenie romana. Orasul urmeaza sa suporte
invazia ostrogotilor, sa fie luat de bizantinii,
iar in 828 e.n. este capturat de catre arabi. In
1027 este cucerit de normanzi - contele Roger
care stabileste o episcopie latina aici. Ca orice
oras port a suferit bombardamente in timpul celui
de al doilea razboi mondial.

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Tempio di Giunone (Hera)

Presenter Notes
Temple of Hera (Juno) Lacinia

The name is, like that one of other Agrigentan
temples, conventional. In the architecture of
this building, erected on the south- east corner
of the Valley of the Temples at a height of 120
meters above sea level, is obvious the worry of a
rigorous artistic perfection. The building, like
the others, faces east and has remarkable
dimensions on a high rectangular platform
(m.41,106 in length and 20,260 in width), mounted
on four steps, rest 34 columns. Six on the short
side and thirteen on the long side , counting the
corner ones both ways. A double square that
occupies a surface of 832,807 square meters. The
columns consist of four tamburi or drums with 20
sharp-edged flutes and have a height of meters
6,32 and a base diameter of meters 1,70 their
distance is meters 1.71 at the center and 1,76 at
the sides. It can be dated around 450-440 B.C.
Today, 30 columns are standing but only sixteen
with their capitals. It was restored by the
Prince of Torremuzza in 1787.

 

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Agrigento was founded on a plateau overlooking
the sea, with two nearby rivers, the Hypsas and
the Akragas, and a ridge to the north offering a
degree of natural fortification. Its
establishment took place around 582-580 BC and is
attributed to Greek colonists from Gela, who
named it Akragas. Agrigento a fost fondat pe un
platou cu vedere spre mare, având doua râuri în
apropiere, Hypsas si Akragas si o colina spre
nord, folosita ca fortificatie naturala.
Întemeierea orasului a avut loc în jurul anului
580 î.Hr. si este atribuita colonistilor greci
din Gela, care au numit asezarea Akragas.

Presenter Notes
The archaeological area known as the Valley of
the Temples in Agrigento, Sicily, is one of the
most important archeological sites in the world
and a Unesco world heritage site since 1998.
Along a long rocky scarp, chosen as the southern
limit of the town, are still sited the great
temples of ancient Akragasthe Temple of Hera
(Juno) Lacinia, Concordia, Heracles (Hercules),
Olympian Zeus (Jupiter), Castor and Pollux
(Dioscuri) and Hephaistos (Vulcan). Further down,
on the bank of the Akragas river, near a medical
spring, stood the Temple dedicated to Asklepius
(Eusculapius), the god of medicine. At the mouth
of the river there was the harbour and emporion
(trading-post) of the ancient city.

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Akragas grew rapidly, becoming one of the richest
and most famous of the Greek colonies of Magna
Graecia. Although the city remained neutral in
the conflict between Athens and Syracuse, its
democracy was overthrown when the city was sacked
by the Carthaginians in 406 BC Akragas s-a
dezvoltat rapid devenind una dintre cele mai
bogate si mai faimoase colonii ale Magnei Grecia.
Desi a ramas neutra în conflictul dintre Atena si
Siracuza, regimul sau democratic a luat sfârsit
atunci când orasul a fost cucerit de cartaginezi

Presenter Notes
Tra il Tempio di Hera e il Tempio della Concordia
si nota il muro di fortificazione della Città. 

Allinterno delle mura meridionali vediamo gli
arcosoli (tombe bizantini),oppure  dette tombe
sub divo ossia sotto gli occhi di Dio, per
indicare le tombe non sotterranee. 

Goethe scrive nel suo Viaggio in Italia
sulle mura che servivano da baluardo a Girgenti 
sincontrano sepolture forse destinate ai
valorosi ed ai buoni

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The city was disputed between the Romans and the
Carthaginians during the First Punic War. În
timpul Primului Razboi Punic orasul a fost
disputat de Romani si Cartaginezi

Presenter Notes
The Archeological and landscape park of the
Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, Sicily, is
regarded as one of the archeological sites most
representative of Greek classical civilization.
Along a rocky scarp, chosen as the southern limit
of the town, are still sited the great temples of
ancient Akragas.

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The Romans laid siege to the city in 262 BC and
captured it after defeating a Carthaginian relief
force in 261 BC and sold the population into
slavery. Although the Carthaginians recaptured
the city in 255 BC the final peace settlement
gave Punic Sicily and with it Akragas to
Rome. Romanii au asediat orasul în anul 262
î.Hr., l-au cucerit dupa ce i-au înfrânt pe
cartaginezi si au vândut populatia ca sclavi. Cu
toate ca orasul a fost recucerit de cartaginezi
în anul 255 î.Hr, prin tratatul de pace Akragas a
revenit Imperiului Roman
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It suffered badly during the Second Punic War
(218-201 BC) when both Rome and Carthage fought
to control it. The Romans eventually captured
Akragas in 210 BC and renamed it Agrigentum,
although it remained a largely Greek-speaking
community for centuries thereafter. It became
prosperous again under Roman rule and its
inhabitants received full Roman citizenship
following the death of Julius Caesar in 44
BC. Orasul a avut de suferit în timpul celui de
al doilea razboi punic (218-201 î.Hr) când Roma
si Cartagina s-au înfruntat din nou pentru
stapânirea lui. În anul 210 î.Hr., dupa
recucerirea orasului, romanii l-au numit
Agrigentum, însa a ramas o comunitate în
majoritate greceasca pentru multe secole. Orasul
a prosperat sub stapânirea romana iar locuitorii
lui au primit cetatania romana dupa moartea lui
Iulius Cezar în anul 44 î.Hr

Presenter Notes
Sagra del Mandorlo in fiore tine o saptamîna în
luna februarie si se sarbatoreste prin alaiuri
multicolore pe strazile orasului Agrigento cu
lume îmbracata în costume populare antice si
ansambluri folcloristice invitate din multe tari
europene (lipsesc doar românii!) care se dau în
spectacol printre templele doriene si migdalii
în floare la lumina facliilor simbolizând flacara
olimpica greaca.

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Tempio di Giunone (Hera)

Presenter Notes
Templul Herei LaciniaRidicat in partea de
sud-est al platoului ce are o inaltime de 120m
deasupra nivelului marii, acest templu de 41,10 m
x 20,26m are 34 coloane de 6,32 m inaltime cu un
diametru la baza de 1,76 m asezate la 1,70 m
dist. Dateaza din 450-440 i.e.n.Azi numai 30
coloane stau in picioare din care numai 16 mai au
capitelele lor. In 1787 templul a fost restaurat
de catre Printul Torremuzza.

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Millenary Olive tree
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Arcosoli Bizantini

Presenter Notes
Tra il Tempio di Hera e il Tempio della Concordia
si nota il muro di fortificazione della Città. 

Allinterno delle mura meridionali vediamo gli
arcosoli (tombe bizantini),oppure  dette tombe
sub divo ossia sotto gli occhi di Dio, per
indicare le tombe non sotterranee. 

Goethe scrive nel suo Viaggio in Italia
sulle mura che servivano da baluardo a Girgenti 
sincontrano sepolture forse destinate ai
valorosi ed ai buoni

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Presenter Notes
Temple of Concordia

The setting of this building is unique in the
world. Ratios are simple and proportions are
perfect. Erected around 430 B.C., it is meters
19,758 by 42,230, slightly larger than a double
square. It covers an area of 843,38 square meters
and has a height of meters 13,481.The cella was
preceded by a simple antechamber (pronaos m.
5,110 by 7,650) with two columns and was followed
by a back porch (opistodomos m. 4,720 by 7,650),
where the treasure, votive gifts and the archives
of the temple were kept. The elegant and airy
colonnade, according to classical models, has 6
columns by 13 every column, 6,75 meters high,
consists of 4 drums and has 20 sharp- edged
flutes.The building was named by the historian
Fazello (1490- 1570), who found a Latin
inscription in the vicinities, not having any
relationship with the building. In 597, it was
converted into a Christian basilica by the bishop
Gregorio, He pulled down two pagan idols in the
temple since one of them was calledRaps, the
Church was later consecrated to St. Gregorio of
the Rape (Turnips)

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After the fall of the Roman Empire, the city
passed into the hands of the Ostrogothic Kingdom
of Italy and then the Byzantine Empire. In 828 AD
the Saracens captured the diminished remnant of
the city. Dupa caderea Imperiului Roman, orasul a
trecut în stapânirea Regatului Ostrogot din
Italia si apoi a Imperiului Bizantin. În anul 828
Sarazinii au capturat ceea ce mai ramasese din
oras

Presenter Notes
Il Tempio della Concordia è il tempio più
conosciuto di Agrigento, è una testimonianza
dellantica Grecia  rimasto ben conservato,è un
esastilo periptero ed è in stile Dorico costruito
nel 430 a.C.A causa dell irregolarità del
terreno si costruisce un basamento dove sorge il
crepidoma di quattro gradoni, segue lo Stilobate
con sei colonne sul lato corto e tredici sul lato
lungo contando gli angoli,ogni colonna possiede
venti scanalature, sopra le colonne vi sono i
capitelli con due elementi quali lechino e
labaco. La Trabeazione è costituita da due
elementi, ossia dall Architrave e dal Fregio 
con la Metopa e il Triglifo. Infine abbiamo il
Frontone con il Timpano, il frontone triangolare
viene ornato con delle Acrotèri, nei lati lungi
del Tempio vengono sistemate delle grondaie a
testa di leone.Il Tempio viene costruito con tre
vani il Pronao, Naos o Cella,e lOpistodomo, e
le tegole del tetto sono di marmo.Alla fine
della costruzione, il Tempio viene valorizzato
con i colori. Si usavano lo stucco bianco dal
crepidoma fino alle colonne, dai capitelli al
tetto colori più forti come il Rosso e il Blu.
La trasformazione del Tempio in una basilica
cristiana  avvenne intorno il 590-597 d.C. fino
al 1790 circa.



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Presenter Notes
Templul Concordiei este unic in lume prin
proportiile perfecte si simplitatea constructiei.
Ridicat cam prin 430 i.e.n. are 19,758 m x 42,230
m, un pic mai mare ca un dublupatrat. Acopera
843,38 mp si are o inaltime de 13,481 m. Porticul
are 6 coloane x 12, inalte de 6,75 m formate din
4 tamburi fiecare cu 20 caneluri pronuntate.
Numele Concordia i-a fost dat de istoricul
Fazello (1490-1590), dupa o inscriptie latina
gasita in imprejurimi. In 597 a fost transformat
in biserica crestina de episcopul Grigorie, ca
mai tarziu sa-i poarte numele.

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Tempio della Concordia
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Presenter Notes
Ancient Akragas covers a huge area much of
which is still unexcavated today but is
exemplified by the famous Valle dei Templi
("Valley of the Temples", a misnomer, as it is a
ridge, rather than a valley). This comprises a
large sacred area on the south side of the
ancient city where seven monumental Greek temples
in the Doric style were constructed during the
6th and 5th centuries BC. Now excavated and
partially restored, they constitute some of the
largest and best-preserved ancient Greek
buildings outside of Greece itself. They are
listed as a World Heritage Site.

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Agrigento was captured by the Normans under Count
Roger I in 1087, who established a Latin
bishopric there. The population declined during
much of the medieval period but revived somewhat
after the 18th century. In 1860, the inhabitants
enthusiastically supported Giuseppe Garibaldi in
his conquest of southern Italy (in the course of
the Unification of Italy). The city suffered a
number of destructive bombing raids during World
War II. Agrigento a fost cucerit de Normanzi sub
domnia lui Roger I în anul 1087, care a înfiintat
o episcopie latina aici. Populatia a scazut în
timpul Evului Mediu dar s-a restabilit oarecum
dupa secolul XVIII. În anul 1860 locuitorii l-au
sustinut cu entuziasm pe Giuseppe Garibaldi
pentru cucerirea Sudului Italiei (în actiunea de
unificare a Italiei). Ca orice port, orasul a
suferit enorm din cauza bombardamentelor din cel
de al Doilea Razboi Mondial

Presenter Notes
Agrigento is a major tourist centre due to its
extraordinarily rich archaeological legacy. It
also serves as an agricultural centre for the
surrounding region. Sulphur and potash have been
mined locally since Minoan times until the 1970s,
and were worldwide exported from the nearby
harbour of Porto Empedocle (named after the
philosopher Empedocles who lived in ancient
Akragas). However, nowadays Agrigento is one of
the poorest towns in Italy on a per capita income
basis and has a long-standing problem with
organised crime, particularly involving the Mafia
and the smuggling of illegal drugs. In 2010, the
unemployment rate in Agrigento was equal to
19.2, almost triple the national average.

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Tempio della Concordia

Presenter Notes
The best-preserved of the temples are two very
similar buildings traditionally attributed to the
goddesses Juno Lacinia and Concordia (though
archaeologists believe this attribution to be
incorrect). The latter temple is remarkably
intact, due to its having been converted into a
Christian church in 597 AD. Both were constructed
to a peripteral hexastyle design. The area around
the Temple of Concordia was later re-used by
early Christians as a catacomb, with tombs hewn
out of the rocky cliffs and outcrops.

 

 

The other temples are much more fragmentary,
having been toppled by earthquakes long ago and
quarried for their stones. The largest by far is
the Temple of Olympian Zeus, built to commemorate
the Battle of Himera in 480 BC it is believed to
have been the largest Doric temple ever built.
Although it was apparently used, it appears never
to have been completed construction was
abandoned after the Carthaginian invasion of 406
BC.

The remains of the temple were extensively
quarried in the 18th century to build the jetties
of Porto Empedocle. Temples dedicated to
Hephaestus, Heracles and Asclepius were also
constructed in the sacred area, which includes a
sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone (formerly
known as the Temple of Castor and Pollux) the
marks of the fires set by the Carthaginians in
406 BC can still be seen on the sanctuary's
stones.

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Igor Mitoraj (1944-2014)
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Tempio della Concordia

Presenter Notes
The Valle dei Templi (English Valley of the
Temples, Sicilian Vaddi di li Tempri) is an
archaeological site in Agrigento , one of the
most outstanding examples of Greater Greece art
and architecture, and is one of the main
attractions of Sicily as well as a national
monument of Italy. The area was included in the
UNESCO Heritage Site list in 1997.

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The temple of Concord is the world's best
preserved Greek Temple.
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Tempio della Concordia
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Ancient Akragas , in its hey-day, was a
flourishing cultural centre it gave the world
Empedocles, the pre-socratic philosopher, whose
concept of matter as divided into four elements-
Earth, Air, Fire and Water- was the foundation of
science for many centuries to come. The city
attracted poets like Simonides and Pyndar who
described it as "the most beautiful of mortal
cities". În zilele sale de glorie Akragas a fost
un înfloritor centru de cultura l-a dat lumii pe
Empedocles, filozoful presocratic cel mai bine
cunoscut pentru teoria clasica a celor patru
elemente si pentru faptul ca era ultimul
cugetator care îsi scria ideile în forma
lirica.Conform legendei, Empedocles s-a aruncat
în vulcanul activ din Sicilia, astfel încercând
sa-i convinga pe învataceii sai ca trupul sau a
disparut si ca într-o zi se va întoarce ca zeu.

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Tempio della Concordia
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Tempio di Ercole
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Orasul a atras poeti ca Simonides sau Pyndar care
l-a descris ca fiind cel mai frumos oras al
muritorilor
Tempio di Ercole

Presenter Notes
Temple lui Hercule (510 B.C.)Unul din cele mai
frumoase temple ale antichitatii este azi ruine.
Chiar si asa se vede de departe si se ridica ca
un simbol al puterii zeului Hercule in Valea
Templelor, hercule este de altfel erou national
al Siciliei si in special al orasului Agrigento.
Dimensiunile platoului pe care sunt ridicate
coloanele sunt 73,992 m lungime x 27,788 m
latime, un triplu patrat cu o suprafata de
2.056,89 mp inaltimea este de 16,264 m.Din cele
38 coloane (6 in fata si 15 pe laturile lungi),
numai 9 stau in picioare, ridicate in 1922 de
catre capitanul englez Alexander Hardcastle.

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In Roman times, Agrigento was visited by Cicero
in search of evidence of pro-consul Verres' abuse
of power and later described by Virgil in the
Eneid. From the Middle Ages up to modern times,
its remains, landscapes, flora, colours and the
echo of lost civilizations have inspired poets,
writers and painters Ludovico Ariosto, Wolfgang
Goethe, Guy de Maupassant, Alexandre Dumas,
Anatole France, Murilo Mendes, Lawrence Durrell,
E.M.Forster, Francesco Lojacono, Nicolas de
Stael, Salvatore Quasimodo, Luigi Pirandello. În
epoca romana Agrigento a fost vizitat de Cicero
în cautere de dovezi pentru a putea demonstra
abuzurile proconsulului Veress (a carui comoara
mai este cautata si acum) iar mai târziu a fost
descris de Virgiliu în Eneida. Din Evul Mediu
pâna în zilele noastre ruinele sale, peisajele,
flora, culorile si ecoul trecutelor civilizatii
au inspirat poeti, scriitori si pictori Ludovico
Ariosto, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Guy de
Maupassant, Alexandre Dumas, Anatole France,
Murilo Mendes, Lawrence Durrell, E.M.Forster,
Francesco Lojacono, Nicolas de Stael, Salvatore
Quasimodo, Luigi Pirandello
Tempio di Ercole
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Tempio di Ercole
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Agave (commonly known as century plant)
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Opera Turistica
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Giant sculptures (Telamon) were used as columns
to support the temple

Presenter Notes
Templul lui ZeusAcest templu de stil doric a
fost cel mai mare templu cunoscut in antichitate.
El a fost ridicat dupa victoria asupra
cataginezilor in anul 480-479, ca multumire adusa
lui Zeus. Platforma este de 113,20 m x 56 m (erau
plasate statui uriase (7.61 m inaltime) numite
Telamons sau Atlantes.Istoricul Tommaso Fazello,
descoperitorul acestor temple, spune ca
majoritatea statuilor s-a pravalit in ziua de 9
December 1401.

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Tempio de Giove (Zeus)
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Tempio deI Dioscuri (Castor Polux)

Presenter Notes
Templul lui Castor si PolluxDestul de mare si
acest templu 34,12m x 15,86 m, are doar patru
coloane ramase in pozitie verticala din cele 34
care l-au impodobit.In 1836 cladirea a fost
curatata de mPe santier au lucrat arheologii
Villareale si Cavalla, sub ordinul ducelui de
Serradifalco trei din coloane au fost ridicate
in pozitia verticala. O a patra coloana a fost
ridicata in 1856.

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Tempio deI Dioscuri (Castor Polux)

Presenter Notes
Notable residents

Empedocles, the Greek pre-Socratic philosopher,
was a citizen of ancient Agrigentum

Luigi Pirandello, dramatist and Nobel prize
winner for literature. Born at Contrada Kaos in
Agrigento.

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Text Internet Pictures presentation Sanda
Foisoreanu
2011
Sound Nicola Alaimo - E vui durmiti ancora

Presenter Notes
Nicola Alaimo canta la serenata siciliana di G.
Calì, accompagnandosi al pianoforte. Incisione
effettuata nel mese di Marzo 2009 a Pesaro



Sul fronte della Carnia, durante la grande
guerra, un giovane soldato siciliano prese la sua
chitarra e, al chiar di luna, intonò questa
canzone.Al termine dell'esecuzione si sentirono
improvvisamente le urla di apprezzamento degli
austriaci, avversari sul campo, ma compagni
emotivamente non arrivavano a capirne il senso,
ma rimasero incantati dalla bellezza della
musica.

Come a dire che la musica supera le barriere,
anche in guerra.