The site consists of two separate elements, containing outstanding
vestiges dating back to Greek and Roman times: The Necropolis of
Pantalica contains over 5,000 tombs cut into the rock near open stone
quarries, most of them dating from the 13th to 7th centuries BC.
Vestiges of the Byzantine era also remain in the area, notably the
foundations of the Anaktoron (Prince’s Palace). The other part of the
property, Ancient Syracuse, includes the nucleus of the city’s
foundation as Ortygia by Greeks from Corinth in the 8th century BC. The
site of the city, which Cicero described as ‘the greatest Greek city and
the most beautiful of all’, retains vestiges such as the Temple of
Athena (5th century BC, later transformed to serve as a cathedral), a
Greek theatre, a Roman amphitheatre, a fort and more. Many remains bear
witness to the troubled history of Sicily, from the Byzantines to the
Bourbons, interspersed with the Arabo-Muslims, the Normans, Frederick II
of the Hohenstaufen dynasty (1197–1250), the Aragons and the Kingdom of
the Two Sicilies. Historic Syracuse offers a unique testimony to the
development of Mediterranean civilization over three millennia.
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| Castle Maniace, Siracusa - Italy |
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| Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica - Italy |
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| Siracusa |
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| Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica - Italy |
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| Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica - Italy |
