The Temple of Hercules in the Valley of the Temples at Agrigento in Sicily, Italy
Agrigento Sicily. Ancient Akragas covers a huge area exemplified by the famous Valley of the Temples 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 BCE. 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. The best-preserved of the temples are two very similar buildings traditionally attributed to the goddesses Juno Lacinia and Concordia. The latter temple is remarkably intact, due to its having been converted into a Christian church in 597 CE. 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 have 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 BCE: 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 Cathaginian invasion of 406 BCE. Temples dedicated to Hephaestus, Heracles and Asclepius were also constructed in the sacred area, which includes a sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone
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Location: The Temple of Hercules in the Valley of the Temples at Agrigento in Sicily, Italy
Photo credit: © Brenda Kean / Alamy / Afripics
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