A reconstructed statue of Atlanta was installed in Sicily
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Giuseppe Greco
A unique 8-meter statue of Atlanta, dated to the 5th century BC, was installed in Sicily. It lay among the ancient ruins for centuries and survived a 20-year restoration.
Atlas was one of 38 statues that supported the Temple of Zeus in the Valley of the Temples, writes The Guardian. In Greek mythology, Atlas was a titan who had to hold the sky on his shoulders after being defeated by Zeus.
“Atlant will become one of the main attractions of the Valley of the Temples. Finally, we can present this grandiose work to the international community.”said Francesco Paolo Scarpinato, an expert on cultural heritage.
The statues were discovered in 1812 by the British architect Charles Robert Cockerell, who came to Agrigento to study the ruins of the ancient city of Acragas, founded around 582 BC.
Cockerell was one of the first to realize that the massive piece of stone near the old temple of Zeus was not part of the pediment of the sanctuary, but the head of a statue of Atlas.
Cockerell later identified other parts of the statue.
According to archaeologists, Atlas was located on the exterior of the Temple of Zeus, helping to support the roof of the sanctuary, which was never completed due to the war with Carthage. Later, the temple was destroyed by earthquakes.
In 1920, the archaeologist Pirro Marconi excavated various artifacts, which led to the reconstruction of the first Atlas, which is kept in the Archaeological Museum of Agrigento.
In 2004, a large-scale research campaign was launched in the Valley of the Temples Park under the leadership of the German Archaeological Institute in Rome.
Now the Valley of the Temples is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest archaeological park in the world. It covers an area of 1,600 hectares and contains the ruins of seven temples, city walls, entrance gates, an agora, a Roman forum, as well as necropolises and sanctuaries.
We will remind, it was discovered in Italy imperial cult templewhere paganism coexisted with Christianity.
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