Walking tour of the Valley of the Temples

By the 5th century BC, the city of Akragas was vast and populated. It was surrounded by tall and strong city walls which defended it from any attacks on the city.
Like many Greek cities, Akragas was divided into 2 main areas: the high part, called ACROPOLI, where the government, counselors and military officials had their seats and then there was also a lower area which was inhabited by the rest of the population.

Excavations have also brought to light public buildings of the city, or rather the AGORA’. This was the main square where citizens carried on their daily lives.

There were also the TEMPLES. These were build further away from the urban centre, almost in the suburbs. This was done so that this whole hill site, where the temples were constructed, would be dedicated to the religious life of the new colony.

Between the area of the temples and the acropolis the people of Akragas had built their homes.

Remember that we are now in a sacred area, so here you won’t see houses, just temples and there are also the ancient Greek cemeteries called NECROPLI. The temples were a common element in ancient Greece because they were the houses of the gods. Along this path there are 9 temples.


Right now we are standing in front of the Temple of Hera, also known as the Temple of Giunone. It dates to c. 450 BC, measuring 38.15 x 16.90 m, it is in Doric style, and it is 6 columns wide by 13 long. The basement has four steps.
what remains of the front colonnade are parts of the architrave and of the frieze. Only fragments of the other three sides are still standing, with few elements of the cella.

The building was damaged in the fire of 406 BC and restored in Roman times, with the substitution of clay marble roof tiles and the addition of a steep rise in the area where today can be seen the remains of the altar.
Nearby are ARCOSOLIA, which is the area where the Byzantines buried their dead.



Here we are in front of the majestic Temple of the Concordia. This temple is considered
one of the most well known sacred buildings of the classical era in the world. It is the only temple left with all its columns standing and this is thanks to its conversion to a Christian church in the 6th century AD.

It also has a peristatis of 6 by 13 columns, just like the temple of Hera. Each Doric column has twenty grooves. The exterior and the interior of the temple were covered by coloured stucco and the upper frame had gutters with lion-like protomes, while the roof was covered by marble tiles.
When the temple was turned into a church the entrance was moved to the rear, and the rear wall of the cella was destroyed.



We’ve now come to the to the Villa Hardcastle. It used to be the Agrigento home of the English Navy captain Sir Alexander Hardcastle. He loved this valley and used up all of his personal inheritance in an attempt to bring it back to life. Thanks to his financial contribution and the enthusiasm shared with archaeologist Pirro Marconi, he was responsible for the reconstruction of eight columns from the Temple of Hercules during the years 1924-31. His house is now used as a multi-media museum.

Stylistically, the temple belongs to the last years of the 6th century BC. It has been also suggested that this temple was one of first built under Theron. One hypothesis is that the temple was begun before the Battle of Himera, to be completed only in the following decades.

The building measures 67 x 25.34 m, with a peristais of 6 x 15 Doric columns and a cella and it is located over a three-step basement. The columns are rather high and have wide capitals and on the eastern side are remains of the large altar.