The city of Syracuse lies on the south east coast of the island and was originally a Greek colony. The 5th Century historian, Thucydides tells us that the colony was founded between 734 BC and 733 BC by Corinthian settlers. Its name originates from the nearby marsh called Syraka. Syracuse quickly rose to become one of the most powerful cities in Sicily, eventually rivaling Athens in splendour. In the 7th and 6th Centuries BC, Syracuse founded sub-colonies of its own in Sicily, primarily to ensure the defence of the surrounding terrain. The first of these was Akrai, founded between 664 and 663 BC, then Kasmenai in 643 BC and Kamarina in 598 BC, but it is to Akrai where we shall now focus.
Akrai is now a ruin on the outskirts on the Baroque town of Palazzolo Acreide. It is located some 44 km west of Syracuse on a plateau in the Iblean Mountains overlooking the River Anapo. Its high location made it a strategically important military outpost. The name "Akrai" literally means "promontory" or "high-up place"; considering the location of the settlement, the name is apt. The ancient name for Sicily, and the name of its flag, is Trinacris or, more commonly, Trinacria. This derives from the Greek Treis Akrai or Three Promontories of Pelorus, Pachynus, and Lilybaeum that give the island its unique shape. In The Odyssey, Homer speaks of the island of Thrinakia, home of the sun god Helios (the sun has long been a symbol for Sicily). The name "Akrai" still forms part of the name of the modern town of Palazzolo Acreide. Under the Romans, the town's name was changed to Acre and it became a Civitas Stipendiaria (a city conquered by the Romans and therefore obliged to pay certain perpetual taxes in punishment for rebellion).
The ancient site itself can be somewhat confusing to interpret because it has suffered so much damage over the centuries. It was destroyed by Arabs in 827 AD and in 1693 AD the whole area was devastated by a violent earthquake. Adding to the confusion are the different phases of construction, reconstruction and change of use by different cultures over the centuries. This originally small settlement tends to look even smaller now because so little of it remains. What does remain however, gives the impression of a compact town with all the amenities one would expect to find in a Greek polis. In fact, Akrai can give us a unique view of what a small Greek colony was like.
The most recognisable feature of the site, and the best preserved, is the theatre. Again, this is very small compared with other Greek theatres but has the usual features. It could seat about 600 spectators on a semicircular cavea with twelve steps divided into nine segments surrounding a paved orchestra. Unlike its much grander counterpart in Syracuse, this theatre is not cut out of the rock but constructed from the abundant white stone in the area and built into the hillside. Different archaeologists date the original theatre to either the 3rd or 2nd Centuries BC. However, it is accepted that the theatre was substantially altered during the Roman period when a stage was added or replaced an earlier one.
Connected to the theatre by the remains of a west-leading passage at the top level of the cavea are the remains of a small bouleuterion or agora (meeting-area) where leading citizens of the polis, the Boule, would meet in council. This was built at about the same time as the theatre and has a similar form but is about a quarter of the size. Part of the staircase and the perimeter of the foundations are still standing. Behind the cavea of the theatre and perhaps 50 metres away and at the highest point of the archaeological zone, there is a ruined temple of the goddess of sexual passion, Aphrodite. Once more, this is surprisingly small and has the dimensions one would associate with a Christian chapel. It is barely recognisable as a temple and overgrown with vegetation. This is one of the oldest parts of the site, possibly dating as far back as the 6th Century BC. Further back still is an ancient necropolis.
South-east of the theatre are two ancient stone quarries called in Italian the Intagliata and Intagliatella latomie. The Intagliata is wide and curved and the Intagliatella deep and narrow. These resemble cliff faces with large room-like holes smoothed out of them creating interesting shapes in the rock. Inside there are labyrinths of interconnected chambers. These quarries provided the stone for construction all around the area but they have also been used as a necropolis and even as dwelling places, particularly by the Byzantine era Christians. In the Intagliatella, a rock carved relief dating from the 2nd or 1st Century BC called in Italian "Banchetto degli eroi" or "Banquet of the Heroes" shows scenes of the heroes feasting and making sacrifices. This is believed to be associated with the cult of the dead.
Recent excavations have uncovered the remains of a Roman road running from east to west of the site. This road or decumanus maximus is paved with volcanic lava and spanned the two gates to the settlement, one eastward towards Syracuse and the other westward towards Selinunte. Along this road are the circular remains of a building which may once have been a public bath or possibly a Roman temple. It is assumed however, that during the Byzantine period it was converted into a baptistery. This appears to have been the residential area of the town although very little evidence remains of private houses.
About 1km from the main archaeological site in a small valley by the Orbo hill in the Santicello district are twelve figures carved in the rock dating from the 3rd Century BC. These are known locally as the "Santoni" or "Big Saints". This group of sculptures is dedicated to the worship of the Goddess Cybele in the Roman Pantheon or Demeter in the Greek; possibly originating from the very ancient Mesopotamian cult of the Magna Mater or Great Mother who represents grain and the harvest. The main sculpture shows the goddess, enthroned with a lion on each side of her and other smaller figures around her. Another sculpture shows Castor and Pollux, the Dioscuri, on horseback. These "Santoni" show both positive and negative aspects of the goddess, the duality of nature. They are interesting because they provide evidence of a very ancient cult surviving until relatively late in the classical era.
Despite the destruction the site has suffered over the years and the frustrating gaps in our knowledge of Akrai, it does nonetheless provide an intriguing glimpse into the past. Akrai is not well known as a major tourist attraction. It is off the beaten track and is usually only of interest to locals and archaeologists. Yet whereas Syracuse, Athens and other Greek cities continued to develop to what they are today, Akrai remains frozen in time; not as glamorous or as well preserved as say, Pompeii, but still interesting in that so many cultures left their mark on it. From the early period of Greek colonisation, through the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods and all through the Roman Empire, Akrai thrived, and was still thriving through the Byzantine Christian period. Not only did it play an important strategic role in the control of the paths of communication with the towns on the South coast, but the rich agricultural land around it assured it prosperity. After it was finally destroyed by Arabs in the 9th Century AD it vanished for a while until a new town sprung up nearby around a Norman castle (now also destroyed). This new town, Balansùl, became Placeolum then Palazzolo and finally in the 19th Century the name Acreide was added, in a sense reviving Akrai. The new town too has seen a similar passage of peoples and styles. The old Greek theatre in Akrai is still used for performances in the summer adding to the sense of continuity.
Not only does Akrai have an interesting history, it is located in a truly beautiful spot, with magnificent views of the surrounding mountains with Mount Etna in the far distance. Perhaps it wasn't just strategy that compelled the Syracusans to place their first colony where they did.
Tags: Akrai, Palazzolo Acreide, Sicily, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome
