{"id":67974,"date":"2015-10-12T16:49:00","date_gmt":"2015-10-12T15:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sicile-sicilia.net\/?p=67974"},"modified":"2026-10-12T21:53:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T20:53:52","slug":"segesta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sicile-sicilia.net\/en\/segesta","title":{"rendered":"Segesta"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Segesta<\/strong> was an ancient Greek city, whose site is renowned notably for two major edifices located on two distinct hills of the archaeological site<\/strong>: the unfinished Doric temple<\/a>, dating back to the end of the 5th century BC, and the Greek theatre<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Historical overview of Segesta<\/h2>\n

On Monte Barbaro,<\/strong> a site that was probably occupied by the Sicels<\/strong>, the city of Segesta is said to have been founded by the Elymians<\/strong>, a people of Sicily who, according to legend, were descended from the Trojans.
It was one of the main cities of this people, who shared the Hellenic culture and played an important role in the Mediterranean.
With the help of Carthage, Segesta destroyed Selinunte in 409 BC, a city that had become a hereditary enemy.
Nearly a century later, the Greek tyrant Agathocles took revenge, in 307 BC, killing 10,000 Elymians and repopulating the city with Greeks. He renamed it Diceopolis<\/em> (“the city of justice”).
It later took back its name and came under Roman control during the First Punic War (264 – 241 BC). It prospered again and was granted a vast territory by the Romans.<\/p>\n

The city remained inhabited for several centuries, until the Arabs and the Normans, whose castle stood on Monte Barbaro.<\/p>\n

Powered by GetYourGuide<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n
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Archaeological site of Segesta<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Doric temple<\/p><\/div>\n

the city occupied Monte Barbaro<\/strong> with its two acropolises separated by a small valley, protected by cliffs on the south and east sides, while to the north, since Greek times, walls pierced with monumental gates stood (lower wall circuit), later replaced by higher walls (upper wall circuit) under the Roman Empire.
The first monumental fortifications are generally attributed to the 4th\u20133rd centuries BC, with successive modifications in the Hellenistic and then Roman periods.<\/p>\n

Two sacred sites are located outside the city walls, along the ancient access roads: the Doric temple of the late 5th century BC, and the Mango sanctuary, of the 6th-5th century BC. This extra-urban placement of the sanctuaries is consistent with the cult practices of the Elymian and Greek cities of Sicily.<\/p>\n

Outside the city there is also a Hellenistic necropolis, mainly dated between the 3rd and 1st centuries BC, with inhumation and cremation tombs.
Remains of dwellings, paved streets and urban drainage systems have also been identified on the slopes of Monte Barbaro, bearing witness to a dense urban fabric in the Hellenistic and Roman periods.<\/p>\n

Overview of the archaeological park<\/h3>\n
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Map of the archaeological park of Segesta<\/p><\/div>\n

The Archaeological Park of Segesta<\/strong> is explored on foot, with its remains divided between two hills; a shuttle offers transport from one site to the other, with nearly 1.5 km separating the Doric temple from the north acropolis.  
The park indeed covers an extensive area, also including residential sectors, stretches of ancient roadways, etc.
On the westernmost of the hills stands the unfinished temple, from which one descends eastward through the Valle gate and part of the walls. It was one of the main monumental entrances of the ancient city.
One then climbs the hill of the Agora, where the north acropolis is located, with the remains of the most recent occupation, including the Norman castle built in the 12th century on older structures, the mosque or 15th-century church, as well as the ancient theatre and the fortified wall circuit. The south acropolis was less dense, with the Mango sanctuary at its foot.<\/p>\n

Doric temple<\/h3>\n
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Pediment of the Doric Temple<\/p><\/div>\n

The Greek Temple of Segesta <\/strong>is a peripteral temple in the Doric style with 6 by 14 columns, which remained unfinished. The absence of fluting on the columns and the non-completion of the stylobate confirm the abrupt interruption of the worksite.
Construction began around 420 BC and was probably interrupted in 409 BC, when Segesta came under Carthaginian domination. The cella was probably begun shortly before the interruption of the worksite.<\/p>\n

On the stones of the outer steps one finds drafts that are ordinarily erased when construction is completed. These mason’s marks constitute a precious source for the study of construction methods and the organisation of ancient worksites in Sicily.
There is no knowledge about the cult or deity that would have been honoured there; perhaps its purpose was political or identity-related, in order to affirm the symbolic Hellenisation of the Elymian city.<\/p>\n

The proportions, technical and stylistic characteristics, such as the capitals, cornices, angles and curvature of the horizontal lines, are typical of the classical architectural models of the Greek cities of Sicily. Elements contemporary with the constructions of Greece of the period are also found. 
In any case, it constitutes one of the most homogeneous examples of classical Doric in western Sicily, despite its incompletion.<\/p>\n\n\n