The territory of Agrigento, Enna, and Caltanissetta (rooms XII-XVII)

A journey through the territories of Agrigento, Enna, and Caltanissetta, from prehistory to the Greek era, through the findings of sites such as Eraclea Minoa and Gela.

Territorio

The province of Agrigento has cultural roots that go back to prehistoric times, with human settlements dating back to the early Neolithic period. Rooms XII-XIV of the museum display prehistoric and historical artifacts from the province of Agrigento, arranged in chronological and topographical order. Room XII is dedicated to prehistory and protohistory, with materials from the sites of Palma di Montechiaro, including Piano Vento, with Eneolithic settlements and necropolises (4th-3rd millennium BC), and Monte Grande, with a sanctuary linked to sulfur production. Significant finds have been discovered here, such as a model of a temple and ceramics in the Castelluccio style. Educational panels illustrate the historical and cultural evolution of the territory up to the Greek colonization.

Room XIII displays finds from western Agrigento, such as the Venuses of Cozzo Busonè (Raffadali), ceramics from the Ticchiara cave (Favara), and the tholos tombs of Sant'Angelo Muxaro, identified with ancient Camico. In Ribera, the Ciavolaro necropolis documents the use of ritual meals and the evolution of funerary practices, while Sciacca is represented by Tranchina and Monte Kronio, with karst caves where evidence of cult practices from the Neolithic period to the 6th century BC has been found. Room XIV shows the process of Hellenization through the sites of Montagnoli, Eraclea Minoa, Monte Adranone, and Rocca Nadore. Eraclea Minoa, founded in the 6th century BC, reveals funerary objects and a fragment of a vase with a telamon, similar to those of the temple of Zeus at Akrágas, while Monte Adranone, active from the 8th to the 3rd century BC, presents artifacts that mix Sican, Greek, and Punic influences. Vito Soldano (Canicattì), with a thermal building from the Constantinian era, documents the continuity of habitation until late antiquity. One room is dedicated to the motherland of Gela, the first Rhodian-Cretan colony founded in Sicily in 689-688 BC, where the famous Attic red-figure krater by the Niobid painter is on display, depicting the death of Penthesilea at the hands of Achilles.

The exhibition concludes with archaeological evidence from the province of Enna, in particular from the site of Montagna di Marzo, and with finds from Vassallaggi and Monte Raffe, in the province of Caltanissetta.

Points of interest

Room 12

The Agrigento area before the Greeks: from prehistory to protohistory; the sites of Palma di Montechiaro, Piano Vento, and the sanctuary of Monte Grande.

Sala XII

Room 13

The western part of Agrigento: S. Angelo Muxaro (Camico), Ribera and its necropolises; the cult caves of Monte Kronio and the Eneolithic grave goods of Tranchina.

Sala XIII

Room 14

The Hellenization of Agrigento: Eraclea Minoa, outpost of Akragas; Mount Adranone between the Sicani and Elymian-Punic peoples; the Roman baths of Vito Soldano.

Sala XIV

Finds from Eraclea Minoa

The display cases contain a number of funerary objects dating from the 6th to the 3rd century BC…

Room 15

Gela, homeland of Akrágas: its foundation and expansion; an artifact and images of the treasures kept in the city museum.

Sala XVI

Red-figure volute krater

Originating from Gela, this precious artifact was acquired through an exchange with the Antonino…

Cratere a volute a figure rosse

Room 16

Province of Enna: Montagna di Marzo (Erbesso), Hellenized center. Focus on Tomb 31: warriors, helmets, and a rare vase with Italic inscription.

sala XVI

Finds from the Montagna di Marzo site

The center, identified as Erbesso, had an orthogonal residential structure, with an acropolis and a…

Finds from tomb 31 in Erbesso

The underground chamber tomb is one of the richest. Inside, 133 artifacts were found, including 96…

Room 17

Province of Caltanissetta: Milena (Neolithic and Mycenaean echoes); Vassallaggi (Motyon), Hellenized hub; Monte Raffe, under the influence of Akrágas.

Sala XVII

Finds from the province of Caltanissetta

Vassallaggi represents one of the most important centers of the gradual “Hellenization” process of…

Vassallaggi Caltanisetta

Last updated

26/06/2025, 13:08

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