Segesta

Views of the plain, landscape of the site, general layout of the settlement.

The agora is being excavated by the University of Pisa. For the moment it is estimated to have covered an area of 4,000 m², and what is currently being excavated dates from the 3rd century BC, although some areas have revealed lower levels.

Detail of an ancient pavement of a later period, probably Roman

The theatre of Segesta is set on the northern slope of Monte Barbaro, but it also needed a retaining wall at the corner where the slope did not offer enough support. Its structure is typical of the transition from the Greek to the Roman theatre. A date in the mid-4th century is generally accepted for its construction.

Macellum (Roman market) in the area of the agora.

Segesta is a settlement established on Monte Barbaro, in western Sicily, a few kilometres from the north coast of the island. Monte Barbaro is a limestone massif with two peaks, one 429 m and the other 420 m above sea level. The river Gaggera surrounds the mountain in places and joins the river S. Bartolomeo, which in turn flows into the sea in the Gulf of Castellammare. It is thought that the harbour used by Segesta lay here. From the top of the mountain one can see the whole surrounding territory: the sea and the fertile plains at the foot of the mountain.
Little is known about the urban grid of Segesta. It has been very little excavated. However, aerial photographs seem to show a regular, terraced settlement, probably laid out in the city's heyday between the 6th and 5th centuries.
Some Archaic houses have been excavated on the slopes of Monte Barbaro, some of them cut directly into the rock.
On the southern slope of Monte Barbaro a sanctuary called the "Santuario di Contrada Mango" has been excavated. This sanctuary has a temenos of 47.80 by 83.40 m. Although it is not known to which deity it was dedicated, the building remains and objects found there date it to the 6th–5th century.
Outside the city walls, on the west side and on another hill, an enormous Doric temple was built, dated to 430–420. However, this area was already a place of worship from at least the 6th century, as the excavations attest. It is not known to which deity this temple was dedicated. It should be said that it was never completed.
Inside the walled area, on the northern peak, or the north acropolis as archaeologists call it, a series of buildings was found that may define this area as an eminently public one. The most impressive building for visitors is the famous theatre, which dates from the mid-2nd century, and therefore from the Roman period. A bouleuterion, a small temple and an agora were also found here.
On the southern peak, what would be the south acropolis, residential structures were found.

Map of the ásty and possible reconstruction.

The city – Monte Barbaro – was enclosed by walls from the 5th century. In this wall, which has stretches from the 6th century, 11 square towers and 5 gates have been found. One of these gates, the Porta di Valle, on the west of the mountain, has been extensively excavated. That side was a natural approach to the city, hence the position of the gate. The excavations show that this gate may have been too accessible to enemies as well, and it seems that in the 4th century it was closed and another gate higher up, the Porta di Stazzo, was opened.
A series of alterations up to the 1st century has been identified in this wall.

Leaving through the southern gates in the city walls, there is a road with many rock-cut chapels leading to a magnificent sanctuary at "Contrada Mango". Archaeology confirms that this sanctuary was frequented from the 8th century BC. The structure found belongs to the temenos wall, made of very large blocks decorated on the outside with incisions and enclosing a precinct of approximately 83 x 48 m. Inside, many temple elements were found: triglyphs, column fragments and Doric capitals, possibly of the 6th and 5th centuries BC. Many fragments of Attic pottery with fine inscriptions were also found.

Doric temple. This is the most famous monument of Segesta. Probably built in the second half of the 5th century BC, it remained unfinished, as shown by the lack of fluting on the columns and by the fact that it never had a roof. Nevertheless, it has been standing since antiquity, delighting visitors. Goethe's visit to Segesta and his description of the experience are famous. The cult to which this temple was dedicated is unknown.
It should be noted, however, that this is an extra-urban temple, positioned outside the walls, although very close to them, on the west side of the settlement.

Images of various reconstructions.

Architectural details of the great Doric temple and of remains of a temple at Contrada Mango.