After centuries of neglect, the Hellenistic theater of Agrigento is the latest archaeological pearl to emerge from the Sicilian earth. In fact it had ever been there, silent, waiting for the fortunate intuition of about scholar.
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| Archaeologists excavating the ancient theater of Agrigento [Credit: Marco Merola] |
The final to endeavour was the Veronese Pirro Marconi, inward the 1920s. Marconi, however, made an unforgivable fault of interpretation that position him on the incorrect track. Of course, he didn't pick out a georadar alongside which to probe the ground. Thus the theatre's location remained a mystery for decades to come.
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| View from drone of the Hellenistic-Roman quarter inward the commons of the Valle dei Tempi di Agrigento [Credit: Giuseppe Grizzaffi] |
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| Ceramic finds from the theater area [Credit: Giuseppe Cavaleri] |
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| View from drone of the ancient theater of Agrigento [Credit: Giuseppe Grizzaffi] |
In 2016, later weeks of instrument-based investigations, findings, hypotheses too observations, archaeologists concluded alongside reasonable certainty that an unmarked limestone embankment alone a few hundred metres from the Temple of Concord (the undisputed icon of the Valley of the Temples) genuinely concealed ... the theatre.
"For months nosotros didn't telephone cry upwards it the theatre", jokes archeologist Maria Concetta Parello, "due to both a surely reluctance on our purpose too because nosotros also struggled to recognize its structure".
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| Restorer cleans a fragment of red-figure ceramic [Credit: Marco Merola] |
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| The follis of Costante II - Siracusa, 654-659 BC, works life inward the expanse of the Theatre of Agrigento [Credit: Giuseppe Cavaleri] |
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| Gorgon mask works life inward the expanse of the theater of Agrigento [Credit: Marco Merola] |
"Yet nosotros managed (between the goal of 2017 too the showtime purpose of 2018) to position the summa cavea and the seats for spectators," continues Parello, equally he guides us through the archaeologists who are still working to complimentary the lower purpose of the structure.
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| Archaeologists excavating the ancient theater of Agrigento [Credit: Marco Merola] |
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| Small carnelian necklace depicting a winged figure [Credit: Marco Merola] |
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| Archaeologists excavating the ancient theater of Agrigento [Credit: Marco Merola] |
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| Structures of the ancient theater of Agrigento already excavated, on transcend of the rocky embankment [Credit: Marco Merola] |
In keeping alongside the architectural exercise of the Hellenistic period, the tiers of benches were built upwards on the side of a hill, spell the upper purpose of the theater was built to a higher house basis "with walls to a greater extent than than x metres high", explains the archaeologist.
The construction underwent a major renovation inward the slowly 3rd century BC, when ancient Akragas became the Agrigentum of the Romans. "But the theater already existed a century earlier too alone later the conquest was it enlarged, maybe upwards to the remarkable size of 95 metres inward diameter. Not bad for a provincial theatre."
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| Fragment from a dedicatory inscription [Credit: Marco Merola] |
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| Silver money of the early on Imperial Age [Credit: Giuseppe Cavaleri] |
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| Element inward terra cotta alongside relief decorations [Credit: Marco Merola] |
Work is at nowadays at a standstill too volition resume inward the jump of 2019. The aim was to convey to lite the orchestra, the architectural infinite that stood betwixt the koilon too the skene.
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| Restorer cleaning a mosaic inward the Hellenistic-Roman quarter of the Valle dei Tempi di Agrigento [Credit: Marco Merola] |
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| Archaeologists at run inward the Hellenistic-Roman quarter of the Valle dei Tempi di Agrigento [Credit: Marco Merola] |
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| Workers dig a Roman column inward the expanse of the thermal baths of the Hellenistic-Roman quarter, Valle dei Tempi di Agrigento [Credit: Marco Merola] |
But the theater was non the alone surprise inward the latterly completed earthworks campaign.
Archaeologists, inward fact, pick out also intervened inward insula IV of the nearby Hellenistic-Roman quarter, a vast expanse of buildings that had already been brought to lite inward the 1950s alongside the funds of the Cassa per il Mezzogiorno.
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| Archaeologist Giorgia Moscato places inward storage about boxes of finds from the Hellenistic-Roman quarter of the Valle dei Tempi di Agrigento [Credit: Marco Merola] |
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| Archaeologist cleans terra cotta bowl [Credit: Marco Merola] |
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| Restorer cleans a togata terra cotta figurine [Credit: Marco Merola] |
"During the Empire of Constantine real of import roads were built such equally Palermo-Catania too Palermo-Agrigento," concludes the archaeologist. "Along these roads at that topographic point were guest-houses too stations alongside thermal baths. We pick out a wonderful illustration of this here."
"No ane is prepared to relinquish trowel too shovel simply yet because at that topographic point is still a lot of run to hold out done too nosotros volition hold out dorsum side past times side year."
Source: National Geographic Italy [August 09, 2018]
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