Unesco Sites: Agrigento

Agrigento

The Agrigento area was inhabited since prehistoric times. The Aeneolithic settlement of Serraferlicchio has made it possible to identify and date a particular indigenous “facies” of prehistoric Sicily through the discovery of a large quantity of well-made poterry with black decorations on red background.

The valley of the templs

Steps lead up to the sacrificial altar, preceding the east front of the gigantic olympieion. The temple, based ona  very ingenious and innovative design, was built after the Agrigentine and Syracusan victory over Carthaginians. For the majestic propotins, it is considered to be the largest temple in the western world together with temple G at Selinunte.

The temple of Concord

 

is one of the best preserved Doric temples of the ancient Greek world. Its perfect state of conservation is due to the fact that it has continued to be used in the course of the time; it was trasformed into a Christian basilica by the Agringentine Bishop Gregory.