Kamarina

The city walls are dated to 553, with additions of the 5th and 4th centuries; two metres thick, they extend over a perimeter of 7 km. Three gates have been excavated so far: one in the centre of the east side, one to the south, the Megara Hyblaea gate, and one to the north-east near the mouth of the Hyparis, the Gela gate.
The territory of Kamarina has been extensively surveyed, and the conclusion reached is that from the mid-5th century it was more intensively occupied east of the walls, in the valley of the river Oanis, extending over approximately 100 hectares, the area furthest from the city being about four or five kilometres away. The walls of the kleroi and of the excavated farmsteads show that they had the same orientation as the buildings inside the walls (Florenzano, 2006:11).

Extra-urban sanctuaries have been identified, two in the area closest to the walls: one dedicated to the nymph Kamarina, between the northern stretch of the walls and the river Hyparis, and another dedicated to the chthonic deities, associated with the eastern gate (gate of stenopos 44-45) leading to the khóra. A little further on, at Passo Marinaro, a sanctuary associated with the necropolis has been identified, and yet another sanctuary appears on the hill of Cozzo Campisi, on the route of the road leading to Syracuse, this one dedicated to the river Oanis. In addition, numerous small rural sanctuaries spread across the whole khóra have been excavated (Florenzano, 2006:10-11).

Reconstruction of the sanctuary of Demeter and Kore, dating from the 6th to 5th centuries BC, located in the southern sacred area outside the city wall in the Kamarinaean khóra, on the dunes running along the coastline near the sea. The temple was built during the period when the city was rebuilt by Gela in 491 BC on the initiative of Hippocrates (Veronese, 2006:352).

Kamarina lies on a promontory 60 m above sea level. It is bounded by two rivers, the Oanis, today called Rifriscolaro, and the Ippari (or Hyparis), which make the region fertile and suitable for cultivation (Longo; Jannelli; Cerchiai, 2004:231). Because of its strategic location, Kamarina suffered several invasions, accompanied by the destruction and rebuilding of the city (Bollati; Bollati, 1999:23).

The space for the agora was defined from the first laying out of the urban grid in the 6th century BC. It is a space at the south-western end of the main hill, between the harbour and the temple on the acropolis. These spaces are connected by the main plateia, B. The agora runs from plateia B to A and extends between stenopoi 8/9 and 6/7, probably occupying the whole south-western end of the city, approximately 20,000 m².
According to the archaeologists responsible for the excavations in the agora, it was already divided into two parts in the Classical period: the eastern agora (80 x 85 m), with more commercial and religious functions, and the western agora (120 x 80 m), with more civic and administrative functions.
It should be stressed that this great agora of Kamarina was perfectly integrated into the orthogonal grid of the city from the outset. The fact that the two agoras were at one end of the city and at the same time higher than sea level made them perfectly visible to those arriving by sea. The western agora was even laid out on two different levels, which predisposed it to a more monumental integration into the landscape.
Its connection with plateia B placed it in direct association with the other important public space, the sanctuary of Athena on the acropolis, while its proximity to the sea and to the harbour, via the Gela gate, provided the link with the more distant outside world. At Kamarina the articulating function of the agora is very evident because of these features (Florenzano, 2006:10-11).

The most complete urban grid dates from the 5th century (probably 461) and follows the orientation of the earlier grid. From this period dates the main axis of the plan, the so-called plateia B, which runs along the backbone of the hill, along which lie the temple (on the 'acropolis') and the agora, already with some buildings. This central plateia took on the main economic role in the city, placed so as to be equidistant from the sides of the urban perimeter. It served the temenos of Athena to the north and the agora to the south, both perfectly integrated into the orthogonal grid. Several dwellings/houses adjoining the stenopoi crossing plateia B have also been excavated.
From the Timoleontic period (from 340 to 258) the urban grid was extended, characterised by the layout of 5 plateiai crossing plateia B and four other urban axes. The most important are plateiai A and C, which ran parallel to the old plateia B. It seems that on the Lauretta hill there were two further plateiai, D and F, which also extended as urban axes. Plateia B was continued south-eastwards as far as the Heracles hill. All these plateiai were crossed by numerous stenopoi (Florenzano, 2006:9).

At the Menta farmstead, the archaeological remains make it possible to identify the building technique used in the walls of this structure. It is simple, with walls about 70–80 cm thick, made of isodomic rock blocks at the corners and medium-sized stone blocks inside the structure (Miro; Braccesi; Bonacasa, 1999:103-104).

The temple of Athena, dated to the 5th century BC, lies in the western sector of the urban plan, on the plateau projecting towards the sea at Kamarina, where no connection with the rest of the city's sacred area can be seen. The walls of the temenos are built of isodomic blocks coated with clay (Veronese, 2006: 348).

Within the large rural complex of Kamarina, comprising the Iurato, Capodicasa, Menta and Cancellieri farmsteads, the different plans of the area outside the city can be classified into two groups. The first consists of plans of large farmsteads; the second of smaller farmsteads, in which productive features predominate over residential ones.
The large Iurato farmstead, dated approximately to the 5th century BC, is an example of a large rural complex combining residential and productive functions; it is, however, the only plan in which the residential character is more marked than the productive one. The residential part of the farmstead is to the west, as can be deduced from the presence of living-room structures, corridors and decorated rooms. The productive area, to the east, was used for olive-oil production, as shown by the archaeological remains.
The Capodicasa, Cancellieri and Menta farmsteads are examples of the smaller plans in the Kamarinaean khóra, reflecting a phase of occupation of the pre-Timoleontic period running from the end of the 5th to the middle of the 4th century.
The production of these other farmsteads was concentrated on processing grapes and honey.
(Miro; Braccesi; Bonacasa, 1999:101-103).

The city of Kamarina extended over three hills, known today as Heracles, Casa Lauretta and Cammarana, the main one. They are hills with relatively flat tops, 60 metres above sea level. The northern limit of occupation was set by the river Hyparis and the southern limit by the river Oanis. The main part of the city was laid out on a line almost perpendicular to the coast, on the Cammarana hill, with a large marshy area to the north-east. The city's harbour was built in the estuary of the Hyparis, between the sea and the marsh. In the Classical period the city reached 190 hectares (Florenzano, 2006:9-10).