Il santuario di Zeus Olympios nel quadro urbano dell’antica Akragas

Abstract

The sanctuary of Zeus Olympios at Agrigento has been not perceived in its entirety till now. As a matter of fact, while the temple attracted the scholars’ interest, due to its outstanding features, the buildings surrounding it were referred to residential (W), military (S) and civic (“agora” E/NE) functions. Besides, a sacellum and a pool on the south-eastern side were attributed to the age of Timoleon, later than the main architectural phase. However, the new stratigraphical data allow us to refer all the structures in the southern area to a coherent building program carried out from 480 to 450 BC Starting from this evidence, the paper aims at redefining the whole context, putting it in urban environments. A new image of the Teronian project emerges, in which the colossal temple with its altar coincides exactly with the nucleus of a rectangular area misuring m 377,62×188,81 (with a ratio of 2:1). This includes two insulae and three stenopoi on each side of the main cultic buildings, and joins with the area of the earlier Temple of Herakles, on the East. The development through time of the area between the two big temples is also reconstructed.