The town of Akagras in the Valley of the Temples - Agrigento

The Valley of the Temples, covering 1,300 hectares, is the largest archaeological site in the world. The park has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1997. The term "valley" is a misnomer, the site is located on a ridge outside the city of Agrigento.

The city of Akragas is described by the Greek poet Pindar as 'the most beautiful city among hotels for men' . It was founded in 580 BC.

Between the mid-6th and the end of the 5th century BC. the city experienced an unparalleled building boom , as evidenced by most of the remains that are still visible today and a mighty city wall of 12 kilometers long and accessible through 9 gates. Akragas assumed the proportions of a large city-state with more than 200,000 inhabitants.

The city was founded in 406 BC. destroyed by the Carthaginians and had to wait until the arrival of Timoleon at the end of the 3rd century BC. to experience a new moment of prosperity. During the Punic Wars it was a garrison of the Carthaginians against the Romans, who conquered it in 210 BC.

During the Roman period , new public buildings were built in the city, now called Agrigentum (the Latin name Agrigentum is derived from the Ancient Greek name in the genitive: Akragas > genitive Akragantos > Latin Agrigentum) , including at least two small temples, the theater and the bouleuterion.

During the Islamic conquest of the Arab, Berber, Spanish, Egyptian, Syrian and Persian populations, which took place between 829 and 840 AD, they seem to have retreated to the hill of Girgenti (from Arabic Gergent or Kerkent), where the medieval and modern city would develop later. The Valley of the Temples, sporadically inhabited, was devoted to agriculture and artisanal production, such as ceramic workshops, documented by some kilns.

Over the centuries, the monuments of the classical city were gradually stripped of their blocks , which were used for the construction of the buildings of Girgenti and the old wharf of Porto Empedocle.

Willem Vandenameele