AREA ARCHEOLOGICA DI AKRAI
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Archaeological area preserving a small Greek theater of the ancient city of Akrai
Well indicated, the site is on the heights of the city, because it is here that the Greeks during Antiquity liked to dominate the landscape to see the potential assailants coming. Of the ancient city of Akrai, there remains a small, well-preserved Greek theatre, discovered at the beginning of the 20th century. It dates from the 3rd century B.C. and dominates the Anapo valley. It was later modified by the addition of pulpitum and the construction of a Byzantine mill. Behind the theatre there are the remains of a temple dedicated to Aphrodite with, to the south-east, the latomies dell'Intagliata (underground quarries). At the foot of the hill that houses the cavea of the theatre are other latomies known as the Ferali temple.
The santoni are bas-reliefs carved in limestone, representing deities. Unfortunately these sculptures are in very poor condition and a little disappointing. It is claimed that the former owner of the land destroyed them himself by hammering them to stem the flow of visitors that invaded his garden. Since then, the land has been bought by the state, and the santoni are now protected.
They are in fact moving testimonies of the cult of Cybèle, the Magna Mater, the ancient great fertility goddess of the Mediterranean and Eastern world, who demanded initiation rites and bloody sacrifices, still quite unknown today. We will see in particular the site which is supposed to have served as an altar for these cruel rites.
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