Semi-circular shrine or sacrificial altar on sacred terraces dedicated to fertility cults of Ancient Greek Earth and Underworld goddesses Demeter and her daughter Persephone in the Valley of the Temples, the remains of the Graeco-Roman city of Akragas or Agrigentum at Agrigento, Sicily, Italy.
Agrigento, Sicily, Italy: remains of a semicircular shrine or sacrificial altar in a northern corner of a sacred complex in the Valle dei Templi or Valley of the Temples archaeological park, dedicated to the Earth and Underworld goddess Demeter and her daughter, Persephone, the focus in Ancient Greek mythology and religion for fervent fertility and agrarian cults. The area, known as the Sanctuary of the Chthonic Deities, lies close to Gate V, a main entrance through the southern walls defending the ancient Graeco-Roman city of Akragas or Agrigentum. Three broad terraces support the remains of several ruined temples and sacrificial altars, as well as the triangular Terrazzo dei Donàri (Terrace of the Divinities), on which statues of the gods stood on plinths. Four columns of one late-5th century BC Doric temple are still in place because it was partly reconstructed in the mid-1800s, but the dedication given to it at that time, to Castor and Pollux or the Dioscuri, is almost certainly wrong; it is much more likely to have also been dedicated to the cult of Demeter and Persephone. Akragas was founded in about 580 BC by Greek colonists from Gela, Rhodes and Crete. It expanded rapidly, becoming a prosperous leading city of Magna Graecia (Greater Greece) before it was sacked by the Carthaginians in 406 BC. It never regained its former status and in the Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage, it changed hands several times. Rome finally triumphed, renamed it Agrigentum and allowed its people to become Roman citizens. When the Western Roman Empire fell, Agrigentum was ruled in turn by Vandals, Ostrogoths, Byzantines, Saracens and Normans. Akragas covered a vast area, much of it not yet excavated. Its seven monumental Doric temples are among the largest and best-preserved ancient Greek buildings outside of Greece itself. The entire city remains are now protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Size: 4083px × 2716px
Location: Valley of the Temples, Agrigento, Sicily, Italy.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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