Temple of Apollo (Syracuse)

The Temple of Apollo (Greek: Ἀπολλώνιον Apollonion) is one of the most important ancient Greek monuments of Magna Graecia on Ortygia, in front of the Piazza Pancali in Syracuse, Sicily, Italy.

History

Dating to the 6th century B.C., this temple is one of the most ancient

Dominique Vivant Denon described the temple:^[3]

... In order to investigate this famous temple, the first built at Syracuse, it is now necessary to enter the house of a private individual, called Daniel, by paying a pound, where there are two capitals on their drums in the space between his bed and the wall, which are standing intact, augmenting the room. The columns are buried to more than half their height and are so close together that the capitals are not more than a few inches apart. In the process of some repairs and the digging of a cistern, the owner has discovered two other column drums, one in the corner and the other on the western side ...

These successive renovations severely damaged the building, which were rediscovered around 1890 inside the barracks and was brought to light in its entirety thanks to the efficient excavations of Paolo Orsi

.

Description

The temple's

pronaos and a naos divided into three aisles by two internal colonnades of more slender columns,^[1] which supported a wooden roof, which is difficult to reconstruct. At the back of the naos was a closed space, typical of Sicelian temples, called an adyton

.

The construction of a building with forty-two monolithic columns, probably transported by sea, must have seemed incredible to its builders, as demonstrated by the unusual inscription on the top step on the eastern face dedicated to Apollo, in which the builder (or the architect) celebrates the construction of the building with an emphasis on the pioneering character of the construction.^[1]^[4]

The remains permit the reconstruction of the original appearance of the temple, which belongs to the

proto-doric period and shows uncertainties in construction and style, such as the extreme closeness of the columns on the sides, the variation of the intercolumniation, the lack of concern for the correspondence of the triglyphs with the columns and archaic aspects the very elongated floor plan. The architrave was unusually high and lightened at the back by an L-shaped cross section.^[1]

Some aspects are very experimental, such as the importance given to the eastern face with a double colonnade, wider separation of the central columns and more generally a pursuit of emphasis rather than proportional harmony.

Magna Graeca, as well as the presence of the adyton, which was probably the location of the sacred image and formed the centre of the whole building.^[4]

Terracotta from the structure is preserved in the

Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi in Syracuse, along with fragments of the gutter and of the akroteria

, and some roof tiles, probably among the first produced in Sicily.

Gallery

Temple precinct with small church of San Paolo Apostolo in background
Outer columns of the stylobate with cella wall behind
Cella wall, window likely inserted when converted into church

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Mertens 2006, pp. 104-109.
^ Vecco 2007.
^ Dominique Vivant Denon, Voyage en Sicile, 1788
^ ^a ^b ^c Lippolis et al. 2007.

Bibliography

ISBN 2-07-073283-5. Retrieved 19 January 2012.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
)

Mertens, Dieter; Schutzenberger, Margareta. Città e monumenti dei Greci d'Occidente: dalla colonizzazione alla crisi di fine V secolo a.C.. Roma L'Erma di Bretschneider, 2006.
ISBN 88-8265-367-6
.

Lippolis, Enzo; Rocco, Giorgio; Livadiotti, Monica. Architettura greca : storia e monumenti del mondo della polis dalle origini al V secolo. Milano B. Mondadori, 2007.
ISBN 88-424-9220-5
.

Vecco, Marilena. L' evoluzione del concetto di patrimonio culturale, Milano F. Angeli, 2007.
ISBN 88-464-8789-3
.

External links

The Temple of Apollo Archived 2013-06-21 at the Wayback Machine on galleriaRomana (in Italian)

37°03′50″N 15°17′35″E / 37.0639°N 15.2930°E / 37.0639; 15.2930

[Mertens_2006-1] Mertens 2006, pp. 104-109.

[2] Vecco 2007.

[3] Dominique Vivant Denon, Voyage en Sicile, 1788

[Lippolis_et_al._2007-4] Lippolis et al. 2007.

[3]

[1]

[4]

v t e Archaeological sites in Sicily
Province of Agrigento	Heraclea Minoa Akragas Temple of Juno - Temple of Olympian Zeus
Province of Caltanissetta	Gela Bosco Littorio Greek baths of Gela Gibil Gabib Monte Bubbonia Polizzello archaeological site Sabucina Vassallaggi
Province of Catania	Aetna (city) Katáne Palike Sant'Ippolito (Caltagirone)
Province of Enna	Centuripe Morgantina Villa Romana del Casale
Province of Messina	Abacaenum Halaesa Naxos Ancient theatre of Taormina Tindari Villa Romana di Patti
Province of Palermo	Entella Grotta dell'Addaura Hippana Ietas Himera Pirama Soluntum
Province of Ragusa	Akrillai Hybla Heraea Kamarina Kaukana
Province of Syracuse	Akrai Santoni Casmenae Cava del Rivettazzo Colonne di San Basilio Helorus Netum Megara Hyblaea Syrakousai Roman amphitheatre of Syracuse Altar of Hieron Ear of Dionysius Galermi Aqueduct Greek Theatre of Syracuse Grotta del Ninfeo Temple of Athena Temple of Apollo Necropolis of Cassibile Necropolis of Pantalica Thapsos Villa Romana del Tellaro
Province of Trapani	Eryx/Erice Drepanum Halyciae Grotta del Genovese Monte Polizzo Motya Segesta Selinunte Temple C Temple E Temple F Cave di Cusa Roman furnaces in Alcamo