Morgantina, fascinating archaeological area of ​​Sicily

Morgantina represents one of the most interesting archaeological sites in Sicily. The ancient ruins arise in Aidone, quiet hilltop village in the province of Enna. They recently returned to the Archaeological area of ​​Morgantina, after a long legal dispute between Italy and the USA, some very important archaeological finds such as the famous Venus, the Acroliths of Demeter and Kore and the splendid silvers of Morgantina, stolen during clandestine excavations. Today these finds are kept in the Archaeological Museum of Aidone. Nell’850 d.c. the Morgeti would have founded an ancient settlement on Mount Cittadella. The site was first destroyed by Hippocrates, the tyrant of Gela, and then conquered, years later, by Dionysus I, the tyrant of Syracuse.

THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AREA OF MORGANTINA

The first remains were discovered at the end of the 19th century by the archaeologist Paolo Orsi. The site, nicknamed little Pompeii, It has an agora on two levels in the center, the lower one reserved for sacred rites, the upper one for commercial and public purposes. At the next level, seat of the market, the walls that separated the shops are still visible. The population sat on the steps during public meetings. Theatrical performances took place on the lower level, which could accommodate around a thousand spectators. The residential neighborhoods are also interesting, evidenced by the elaborate wall decorations and refined mosaics. Next to the Greek theater is the public granary, resalent to dry III. a.C, with the remains of two kilns which prove the existence of ceramic vase factories.

THE VENUS OF MORGANTINA

Stolen in the second half of the 20th century and sold to the Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Venus of Morgantina was returned to Italy in 2011. It is a statue in marble and limestone tuff, carved between 425 a.C. and the 400 a.C. by a disciple of Phidias. According to archaeologists it does not represent the goddess Venus, but Demeter or her daughter Persephone. Another important find recently returned by the Metropolitan Museum of New York to the Sicilian Region is the Morgantina Treasure, format of 15 silver pieces from the 3rd century BC. The silver pieces, of the Hellenistic period, today they can be admired in the new exhibition section of the archaeological museum of Aidone, near the acroliths of Demeter and Kore, returned by the Bayly Art Museum of Virginia University in December of 2009. Another piece of great value kept in the Aidone Museum is the Head of Hades, also called Bluebeard.

The archaeological site, reachable only by car, far from Villa Maria an hour and a half.