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ISTITUTO COMPRENSIVO
“G.A.
COSTANZO”
VII Istituto VII
Comprensivo
“G.A.
COSTANZO”
A.S. 2013-2014
COMENIUS PROJECT
POLAND, OCTOBER 2013
SYRACUSE
Le trasformazioni
del territorio
HISTORY
Syracuse is located in the southeast corner of the island of Sicily. The city is notable for its rich Greek
history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture, and as the birthplace of the preeminent mathematician and
engineer Archimedes. This 2,700-year-old city played a key role in ancient times, when it was one of the
major powers of the Mediterranean world. The city was founded by Ancient Greek Corinthians around 734
B.C. and became a very powerful city-state. Syracuse was allied with Sparta and Corinth, exerting
influence over the entire Magna Graecia area of which it was the most important city.
But, in 212 B.C. Syracuse capitulated and the Romans established total control over Sicily. The Romans
divided Sicily into estates for growing grain, and treated the island as an inferior province. Sicily thus
entered a long period of cultural decline in which conditions reached such a pitch that there were two slave
revolts, both of which were savagely repressed.
With the decline of the Romans, followed a long line of conquerors, occupiers and dominators of Syracuse
and of Sicily, each of whom left their mark.
In the 9th Century, the Arabs conquered the occupying Byzantines and took Sicily. In Ortigia evidence of
this era remains in certain quarters of the city in the characteristic layout of the streets.
Much later, Frederick II continued the Norman tradition of maintaining authority in Sicily by kingship,
commissioned the building of the splendid Maniace Castle which stands today on the furthermost tip of
Ortigia.
The following "ruling class" of Sicily were the French Angevin whose turbulent dominance of Syracuse and
of Sicily was short lived. The succesive Spanish Aragon rule has left traces in architecture in some noble
houses. Sicily became part of the Two Sicilies Kingdom until the Italian unification of 1860.
At present, Syracuse is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site along with the Necropolis of Pantalica.
The Greek Theatre
The theatre is surely one of the most famous of the ancient world: many travellers and landscapists of
the XVIII and XIX left numerous descriptions and views about it. Several sources deals with a Greek
theatre of Syracuse, by the architect Damocopo so-called Mirylla. The theatre, carved into the rock of
the hill Temenite, has a very large cave with 67 rows of steps; divided into nine wedges thanks to eight
small staircases and, horizontally, in the middle, from a corridor, called diàzoma. The sidewall, above
this diàzoma, characterized by the presence of mouldings, is engraved with Greek inscriptions. The
construction technique, the size, the shape of the cave and of the orchestra and also the inscriptions
have suggested to some scholars to date the construction of the monument between 238 and 215 BC.
The upper part of the cave, built from the 19th step above the diàzoma, was bounded by a wall that was
a support for the artificial embankment. Both the orchestra and the area of the scene show traces of
subsequent changes, related to the different needs of the technical system and to the use of the theatre
over the centuries.
The Ear of Dionysius
This large limestone cave has a great sound
legend attached to it. The story goes that the
tyrant Dionysius (ca. 432–367 BC) used this
place as a prison. The wedge shape of the cavern
causes peoples’ conversations to be amplified at
the roof of the cave, 22m above the floor.
Supposedly this enabled guards to spy on
prisoners by listening to the amplified sound
through a small hidden opening at the top of the
cave: even when the prisoners spoke in whispers.
Roman Amphitheatre
The amphitheatre built in Syracuse during the Roman period is the largest in Sicily, and one of the largest
in Italy (being slightly smaller than the Arena of Verona).
The structure was used for gladiator and animal fights, while the nearby theater was reserved for proper
theatrical presentations.
Today, only the portion of the Amphitheater carved into the rock remains, while all that was built of stone
blocks was dismantled by the Spanish in the 16th century to build fortifications of the island of Ortigia.
At the center of the arena a rectangular excavation (covered, in ancient times) contained equipment used
for performances.
Despite its material damage, the building retains by virtue of its size an aura of majesty and grandeur.
Surrounding the amphitheater and on the access road, it is possible to see several ancient sarcophagi,
transported here from the necropolis in the area, as well as some remains of houses dating from the
Hellenistic period.
Altar of Hieron II
The altar of Hieron II was built by the "tyrant“ of
Syracuse (who reigned from 269 to 216 B.C.) in the
third century B.C.
This is the largest surviving altar of Greek antiquity.
Originally it was surrounded by porticos; in Roman
times a garden of trees was planted in the courtyard.
On this huge altar it was possible to celebrate
grandiose religious ceremonies, with the sacrifice of up
to 450 bulls in a single day. This was one way to
propitiate the gods but also to remind friends and
enemies that Syracuse had plenty of resources.
Unfortunately, only the base of this huge structure
remains, carved into the rock that rises from the ground
to save the excavation of the foundations. Everything
else (i.e., the walls of square blocks, columns, access
ramps, statues) was demolished by the Spanish, who
in the 16th century plundered the ancient Greek and
Roman monuments in order to obtain stone to build the
fortifications of Ortigia.
Il Castello Eurialo
The Eurialo Castle is the top of the
fortification of the city of Syracuse,
whose name seems to allude to the
Greek
Euryelo.
Wanted
by
Dionysius, tyrant of Syracuse, it
stands on the highest point of 120
metres above sea level of the
terrace of district Epipoli. The
construction of this imposing
military work was realized between
402 and 397 BC in order to protect
the city from any attack. The
entrance is protected by three
moats. Following this path, there
are five big towers.
Temple of Apollo
At the entrance of Ortigia there are the remains of the oldest Doric temple of the Magna Graecia, the
Temple of Apollo, dating from the 6th century B.C.
It is located on a much lower level than that of the square around it, owing to the accumulation of debris
over the centuries, which raised the ground level. The temple had been transformed into a Byzantine
church, later converted into a mosque (an inscription in Arabic remains), then returned to the church
during the Norman period (there is a lancet window in the cell wall, which shows the level of the soil in
the 12th century), and then deconsecrated, partially demolished and turned into a barracks during the
Spanish period.
Only in 1860, notably, was something found hiding in what was then the barracks, and only between
1938 and 1942 the remains of the temple were freed from the modern additions and at last excavated.
The building is conserved in good condition, and, despite having lost most of its columns, still exhibits a
long stretch of wall. In one corner, two columns and a fragment of an architrave give an idea of the
imposing size of the ancient building.
The temple was, as was everything from the same period, covered by decorative, colored terracotta, the
remains of which are now on display at the Archaeological Museum “Paolo Orsi”.
Il Duomo
The city's cathedral is a 5th-century BC Temple dedicated to Athena that was adapted by the
Byzantines and then the Normans. To convert the Greek temple to a church wasn't hard: They just
punched archways through the cella (the sacred central chamber of the temple) to make it into a nave,
and filled in between 19 giant Doric columns from the temple's peristyle to make the outer walls of the
aisle...
In fact, these ancient columns are embedded into the outer wall of the church.
Its baroque facade was realized by the famous architect Andrea Palma.
Maniace Castle
The Maniace Castle is a citadel and castle in
Syracuse. It stands on a large promontory, where
it was constructed between 1232 and 1240 by the
architect Riccardo da Lentini under the rule of
Emperor Frederick II. It bears the name of George
Maniakes, the Byzantine general who besieged
and took the city in 1038.
King Peter III of Aragon resided here with his
family in 1288. From 1305 to 1536 the castle was
used as residence by numerous queens of Sicily.
.
Arethusa’s Fountain
This curious freshwater fountain has the peculiarity of flowing right to the seashore. In ancient Greek myth,
the origin of the spring was attributed to the fate of a nymph, Arethusa, who was transformed by the goddess
Artemis into a spring to escape the stalking courtship of the sea god Alpheus (son of Oceanus).
He, in despair, was in turn transformed into a river by Zeus and succeeded in this way to finally mix his water
with that of Arethusa. The myth probably attempts to explain the brackish taste of the water, due to the
infiltration of the bordering sea.
This pond also has a second peculiarity: at its center a collection of wild papyrus has grown for millennia,
and, together with that of the Ciane/Anapo river, constitutes the only wild papyrus existing in Europe.