VIA Passeggiata Archeologica TEL 0922 497235 MEANS OF CONVEYANCE Buses: 1 - 2 - 3 VISITING HOURS Mon - Sun: 8 am -1 pm; Mon -Sat: 2 - 4 pm TICKET: £ 8000 |
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1) Antiche fonti e topografia 2) Ambiente pre-greco 3) Collezioni vascolari 4) Scultura architettonica 5) Santuari dei vari tempi 6) Tempio di Zeus Olympios 7) Antico abitato 8) Epigrafia 9) Numismatica 10) Scultura greco-romana 11) Necropoli dei vari tempi |
12) Preistoria nell'agrigentino 13) Preistoria nell'agrigentino 14) Provincia di Agrigento 15) Gela 16) Topografia del nisseno 17) Provincia di Caltanissetta 18) Mostre temporanee 19) Museo di II scelta 20) Sala Conferenze 21) Biblioteca |
Certainly in times not remote Agrigento classicity inspired the
poet and Nobel prize Salvatore Quasimodo. A lyric titled "Temple
of Zeus" finishes remembering the survivor giant of the ancient
monument: "Here is the Telamon, a few steps from the Hades,
laying in the Zeus'garden, and crumbling its stone with air-worm
patience...".
Opened in 1967, the Museum settles in the earth of the monumental
landscape almost in the center of the ancient town of Agrigento,
with the wonderful Valley of Temples in its background.
Besides the natural beauties, where the Museum settles, the place
was chosen because of two famous monuments: one is from Classical
Age and it is known as Falaride's Oratory, the other one is from
the Middle Age and it is San Nicola's church enclosed the Abbey.
In the greatest of 18 rooms we can observe the fascinating Telamon.
The sculpture is the only complete of 38 enormous figures of Atlas
in Jupiter's Temple that the architect thought to support the
columns. The Telamon is composed with 26 tufaceous pieces and
it stands m. 7,61 tall, the imposing masculine figure symbolizes
the primitive strength of the nature imposed by Jupiter.
It is no wrong when we say that San Nicola Museum with its state,
civic and diocesan collections about archaeological pieces, forms
an organic set and has an enormous importance to understand the
city and its territory.
This set is from Prehistoric Age II millennium B.C. to the First
and Middle Age of Bronze to reach the Iron Age culture.
Among the uncountable wonders we must speak about a Greek-Roman
sculpture the "Agrigento's Efebo", a virile, nude figure
installed on its vertical axis, sculptured on clean surface. It
is a Kouros from 480 B.C. and symbolizes the idealized Greek masculine
handsome. The statue was found in Demetra's Temple and it stands
cm. 100 tall.
Another important piece is a Greek marble trunk found in Jupiter's
Temple. It is a very beautiful strong figure, belonging to an
athletic figure having a fight with another one. We can think
of a character of the Gigantomachy which, in Diodoro opinion,
adorned an imprecisable part of the great Temple.
Very beautiful is the Prehistoric collection which represent a
well done attempt to organize some angles about the Prehistoric
collection in Agrigento. There are pieces of the Zubbia Cave in
Palma di Montechiaro whose stratigraphy discovered, through its
own culture, a rigorous cultures succesion, from rare Stentinello
pieces (Neolithic) to Malpasso.
We can observe monochrome ceramics with a simple decoration incised
lines and little circles, lithic manufacture objects, among them
flint blades, a globular wood head and a great vase representing
a human head.
Besides we can admire characteristic materials from the First
and the Middle Age of Bronze, among them there are vases belonging
to Castelluccio culture. They have various and beautiful forms,
orned geometrically, their colors are brown with red bottom, we
can say that they are the most beautiful things of Sicilian art
of all times.
Noteworthy is Athena's head with helmet. It is a very interesting
product of local manufacture, from about 490 B.C., an archaic
antefix with a Gorgon head and a deposit (matrixes and oil-lamps)
which was found in the Sanctuary of the chthonic divinity.
Now, we must say that we tried to give an idea of what San Nicola
Museum is, but it is very hard.
We know that 2000 pages will not be enough to write what the Museum
has and what it means to our story.