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Ancient Greek temple in Magna Graecia, modern day Segesta, Sicily.	Source: Ludvig14/CC BY-SA 4.0

Magna Graecia's Legacy: The Stories of Italy’s Ancient Greek Colonies

Long before the Roman Empire came along, the Ancient Greeks controlled much of southern Italy. From the 8th to the 5th centuries BC, intrepid Greek settlers transformed this region into a mosaic of...
Votive offerings have been unearthed in the Valley of Temples in Sicily, Italy. Source: Sicilian Regional Institutional Portal.

Huge Votive Deposits Emerge From Sicily’s Valley of Temples, Shed Light on the Exodus of 406 BC

An excavation campaign in the historic Valley of Temples (Agrigento) in Sicily has stumbled upon a huge votive deposit consisting of 60 terracotta statuettes, protomes and female busts, fragments of...
Palermo mummies.  Source: Habanero666 / CC by SA 3.0.

Resurrecting the Past: Sicily's Bizarre Mummy Rituals (Video)

Sicily's enigmatic mummy rituals have captivated researchers and historians alike for decades. Originating with the capuchin monks of Palermo , the tradition of mummification rapidly spread across...
Roman ship ramming a Carthaginian ship. Naval battles were key in the First Punic War. Source: Massimo Todaro/Adobe Stock

Rome vs. Carthage: The First Punic War and the Birth of a Superpower

The First Punic War was a brutal conflict that pitted two of the greatest powers of the ancient world against each other. With the might of Rome on one side and the naval supremacy of Carthage on the...
Remains of columns at the Cave di Cusa quarry in Sicily. (Davide Mauro / CC BY-SA 4.0)

Hidden Gems of Sicily: The Abandoned Temple Columns of Cave di Cusa

If someone told you that you could effortlessly travel back in time to classical antiquity, you would think that they were crazy, right? But at Cave di Cusa, in Sicily, this is actually possible...
Protruding ledge M.4555 (see Figure 4), roughly at the mid-point of the northern side of the ‘Kothon’; viewed from the west.		Source: © Sapienza University of Rome Expedition to Motya / Antiquity Publications Ltd View of the refurbished ‘Kothon’ with a replica of the statue of Ba’al at its center (© Sapienza University of Rome Expedition to Motya / Antiquity Publications Ltd).

‘Harbor’ of Ancient Island City Was Really a Sacred Phoenician Pool

Excavations at the Iron Age Phoenician settlement of Motya have been ongoing for many decades. Located on a Mediterranean island just off the western coast of Sicily , this long-deserted ancient city...
5th century chamber pot from the Roman villa at Gerace, Sicily (Italy). Source: Roger Wilson / Journal of Archaeological Science

Parasite Traces Show ‘Storage Jars’ Were Actually Portable Chamber Pots

A brilliant new study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science highlights how the archaeologists and researchers involved in analyzing a 1,500-year-old chamber pot have developed a unique...
The Court of Emperor Frederick II in Palermo by Arthur vom Ramberg (1865) Web Gallery of Art (Public Domain)

The Wonder Of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II Stupor Mundi

Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II (1194-1250) was known as the Wonder of the World, Stupor Mundi , because there had never been anyone like him; nor will there ever be another to match him. Like many...
King Roger II Of Sicily: Christian Sultan And Half Heathen King

King Roger II Of Sicily: Christian Sultan And Half Heathen King

One of the most successful, but little known kings who reigned during the Middle Ages was Roger II (1095-1154) who controlled the island of Sicily along with Apulia and Calabria in Southern Italy...
One of the naval Roman battering rams being hoisted from the sea near Ustica Island, Italy.	Source: RPM Nautical Foundation

Divers Find Four Naval Roman Battering Rams From the 241 BC Punic War

Four ancient bronze Roman battering rams, the kind used at the front of a battleship, have been discovered by divers near Ustica Island, north of Palermo, Italy. These rare artifacts of ancient naval...
Pork hams and sausages. Based on the latest research study of food remnants in Islamic Sicily from medieval cooking pots we now know that the urban Muslims did not eat pork, but that rural people under their rule did. (April D / Adobe Stock)

Medieval Cooking Pots Reveal Rural People Under Muslim Rule Ate Pork!

The island of Sicily is not somewhere most of us would immediately associate with having been a powerful Islamic kingdom. However, between 841 and 1091 AD, the Emirate of Sicily was a key political...
Signature of a Great Sicilian Unearthed at Segesta

Signature of a Great Sicilian Unearthed at Segesta

It was long thought that the Segesta Archaeological Park, in Sicily , had given up most of her secrets to Victorian-era archaeologists and treasure hunters . However, it now appears it hadn’t. A team...
Image shows statue of a Greek warrior. The Battle of Himera was pivotal in the ancient world.

True Origins of Battle of Himera Warriors Dispute Greek Accounts

According to ancient historians such as Herodotus, the Battle of Himera was fought in 480 BC. Supposedly this battle was fought on the same day as the Battle of Salamis, and allegedly both battles...
Mythological Bridge of Scylla & Charybdis Would Unite Italy with Sicily

Mythological Bridge of Scylla & Charybdis Would Unite Italy with Sicily

Desperate to jump-start a stalled economy, in 2020 Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte revived a long-dormant infrastructure project. If approved, it would lead to the construction of the longest...
Alcibiades: The Shrewd Athenian Opportunist Of The Peloponnesian War

Alcibiades: The Shrewd Athenian Opportunist Of The Peloponnesian War

The famous city states of ancient Greece were filled with capable leaders, statesmen, generals, and heroes. Athens, one of the world’s oldest named and inhabited cities, became the leading city state...
The remains of what appears to have been a unique funeral ceremony and Greek burial have been discovered at the ancient colony of Gela in southern Sicily. Source: Superintendence of Caltanissetta

Evidence of Deceased Baby Burning Discovered in Sicily

The remains of what appears to have been a unique funeral ceremony and Greek burial have been discovered at the ancient colony of Gela in southern Sicily. Founded some time between 689 and 688 BC,...
While exploring the Argimusco Plateau, you’ll come across the Eagle. Is it the work of an ancient megalithic culture? Or one of nature's spontaneous works of art? Source: ildiora / Adobe Stock

The Enigmatic Argimusco Plateau: A Glimpse into Sicily’s Distant Past

Sicily is well known for its rich and unique history. The largest island of the Mediterranean Sea, it hides a turbulent story and hosted some very distinctive ancient cultures. Before the age of...
Titan Atlas statue found amongst the Greek temples of Agrigento.     Source: Wead / Adobe Stock

Statue of Atlas Will Stand Again Before Greek Temple in Sicily

Atlas , the pre-Olympian Greek god, is famous for carrying the world on his shoulders. At a famous temple site in southern Italy, an ancient statue of Atlas will be restored to its original position...
While little is known about Flamma the gladiator, the details we have give rise to questions about his origins and the quality of life for a gladiator during his era. Source: zamuruev / Adobe Stock

Flamma the Syrian: The Mysterious Gladiator Who Refused Freedom

"Flamma, secutor, lived thirty years. Fought thirty-four times, won twenty-one times, stood to draw nine times. Won a reprieve four times. Of Syrian extraction.” An eroded inscription on an ancient...
Giulia Tofana was a 17th century leader of a poison cartel responsible for over 600 deaths thanks to her trademark poison Aqua Tofana. Source: Public domain

Giulia Tofana: Queenpin of the Criminal Magical Underworld

Between the years of 1630 to 1655, Giulia Tofana and her poison cartel were the primary facilitators of well over 600 deaths, by way of disgruntled wife, through their trademark poison known as Aqua...
Mediterranean Sea. Credit: Sergii Figurnyi / Adobe Stock

Mediterranean Sea Was Hotter 2,000 Years Ago!

International researchers have found proof that the Mediterranean Sea was 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) hotter during the time of the Roman Empire , from 1 to 500 AD, the warmest it has...
2300-year-old Anchor Devoted to Goddess of Love Hauled Up

2300-year-old Anchor Devoted to Goddess of Love Hauled Up

Marine archaeologists have made many important ancient discoveries in the Mediterranean and now an Italian team have uncovered an anchor at the bottom of the sea. It is 2,300 years old and it is...
The moon among the columns of the Doric Temple at Segesta, Sicily. 	Source: ildiora / Adobe Stock

A Classical Doric Temple in Sicily Built by a Mysterious Population

Thanks to its unique position in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily has a rich and complex history. There are many fine examples of Classical Greek architecture on the island and one of the...
The Greek theatre of Syracuse, Sicily            Source: Marco Brivio / Adobe Stock

3000 Years of Greek Drama at the Theatre in Syracuse

For many centuries Sicily was part of the wider Greek world and this can be seen in the many spectacular monuments and ruins on the island. One of these is the Greek theatre at Syracuse. Syracuse was...

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