The Inside Treasures

The Valley of the Temples was magnificent, and we now wanted to see the artefacts found there and at other local sites. These are housed in the archaeological museum in Agrigento. It is a huge collection. And because we are pensioners entry was free, as is usual in Italy.

The earliest intact finds are from around 1500 BC. This pot from 1200 BC could be the work of a quality modern potter. It looks like it’s going to stride forward and shake hands with you.

 

Most people would recognise the next photo as Ancient Greek: an urn with scenes and figures in light tan on a black background. These date from about the 6^th century BC. The example below features nude men and elegantly dressed ladies doing a kind of dance. The ladies seem quite unfazed so maybe we should adopt a similar dress code for, say, the Christmas Charity Ball.

There are literally hundreds of these vessels, with different artwork and sizes. They are generally in exceptionally good condition because many were discovered in tombs which, as we have seen, were either stone coffins or chambers carved into rock and therefore well protected.

The next pot illustration also looks modern and is of Hermes, the winged messenger. Wings on helmet and boots, so zero carbon footprint. Brilliant idea for eco-friendly commuting. They really were so much smarter in those days.
 

Now for some jewellery: first a gold necklace from the 4^th century BC and then some beads of a similar vintage. They are surprisingly intricate and pleasing in design.

The museum also had one of the Atlas type column support figures that we saw lying flat on the ground in the Valley of the Temples, this time assembled upright, with Jane stood nearby to give an idea of the scale. The temple itself was three times Atlas’ height. How many Weetabix do you reckon he could eat?

Next a 6^th C BC soldiers’ helmet. The design is similar to helmets used throughout the centuries right up to WW2, as per example underneath.

Across the road from the museum are the remains of a Greco-Roman village, and we thought to round off the day with a quick trip around it. It was closed, but we didn’t know that until we came to leave by the main entrance that was locked. We had entered through a side gate, not realising that it had been left open for workmen who were repairing mosaics. So we had the place completely to ourselves, not thinking this was odd as it was wintertime and a cool day.

I can’t say whether the next photo was a mosaic they had repaired or were going to repair, but it’s quite classy. Many of the ruined houses showed traces of mosaic flooring, so installing these must have been big business, the Carpet Rights and Carpet Cities of their day. I wouldn’t have fancied lugging the pattern books around though.

Ruins are just that- ruins, so it’s difficult to take a meaningful general photo. It’s different when you’re in amongst them and can examine details like mosaic bits and room shapes and drainage conduits. You can slowly build a picture of what life may have been like, probably totally off the mark, but who knows. But we’ve only got that general, meaningless photo to finish with!

We did enjoy our stay at Torre Salsa and our various trips, but now it’s time to move on. Saturday 1^st of Feb will see us head for the west side of the island, to a site near the town of San Vico Lo Capo.