Landscapes, temples, and colonization in Sicily : a study of Greek sacred architecture and colonization in Sicily to better understand cultural ethnicity

Abstract

The focus of this study is to better understand cultural ethnicity and colonization in Sicily. The objective is fourfold: (1) identify and note all Greek temples in Sicily, (2) identify and better understand the landscape relationships of Greek temples, (3) understand what literary sources and archaeological data say about Greek colonization in Sicily, and (4) using that information, determine how "Greek" Greek temple sites are in Sicily. The project seeks to determine whether Greek sacred architecture can be used to determine the cultural heritage of a site, and if so, apply the hypothesis to all Greek temple sites in Sicily. This study asks questions specific to Sicily, as well as general questions about colonization and cultural expansion. The significance of economic influences will be central to this study. Employed in this research is a comparative approach by applying Vincent Scully's model for Athens Greece to nineteen sites in Sicily (Agrigento, Akrai, Camarina, Cefalu, Erice, Helorus, Heraclea Minoa, Himera, Megara Hyblea, Monte Adranone, Monte Jato, Monte Polizzo, Morgantina, Naxos, Palike, Segesta, Selinus, Solunto, and Syracuse). This research is vital to colonization studies in the Mediterranean because it addresses major questions regarding the colonization of Sicily, Greek economy and trade, issues of insularity, and topics of the Mediterranean as a whole. This research was conducted in a twofold process: (1) identification of temples and relevant sites using library research and computer models, and (2) visiting the sites directly and taking relevant measurements to test the proposed model. In this study, sites with close economic relations with Greece have temples that generally have an eastern orientation. Sites that do not have close economic ties with Greece have other orientations. The data in this study is analyzed statistically and is found to be significant. This project seeks to fill a gap in the knowledge base and chronology of Sicily and the island's relationship with mainland Greece.