Segesta
Segesta is an abandoned ancient city located in the province of Trapani, about 74 kilometers southwest of Palermo, roughly an hour's drive from the capital.

This large archeological zone, with its magnificent Doric temple, ranks as one of the best-preserved Greek architectural sites to be found anyplace. Strangely enough, it was built by the Elymians (or Elami or Elimi or Elymi), with assistance from some colonizing Greeks themselves. Segesta's temple is situated in a pristine countryside, standing alone in tranquil beauty amidst nature. There are virtually no modern-day structures to mar the setting of the temple. You can really enjoy the splendor of the structure and the tranquility of the setting. At Segesta, you can easily imagine what it was like to live in Sicily in ancient times. Taking into consideration all the Greek sites and temples existing in Sicily, we encourage you to see Segesta during your stay in Sicily, not only for the structures themselves, but for the beautiful and natural setting. This idyllic setting is nothing like that of the temples of Agrigento, which, magnificent though they are, are located on the edge of town amidst creeping urban sprawl and illegally constructed villas. (Read our descriptive magazine article about Segesta to see more.

The temple of Segesta is 61 meters long (190 feet) and 26 meters wide, built upon 4 steps, with a total of 36 Doric columns supporting the stone roof-frame of the structure. There are 14 columns on each of the long sides of the building and 6 columns across the front and back, for a total of 36 columns. The columns are of a "rough" finish because they were never "fluted." Apparently, the temple was never completed. It also appears that the structure never had a "cella," or roof, and archeologists are still in disagreement as to whether the temple was deliberately planned this way, or was just never finished. It is believed that the edifice was erected between 420 and 430 BC.

Segesta's other main monument, the amphitheatre, stands on the slopes of Monte Barbaro (literally 'Mount Barbarian') at an elevation of 400 meters above sea level. The theatre has 20 tiers of steps which served as seats, divided into 7 sections by aisles that lead to the U-shaped stage area. The diameter of the semi-circular seating area is 63 meters. The seating area is known as the "cavea" and a good part of it was carved out of the solid rock of the mountain. Scholars differ as to when the it was built. Some archeologists believe it was built around the same time as the temple, or maybe some decades earlier, circa 450 BC. The amphitheatre hosts Greek tragedies (in Italian) most Summers, sometimes alternating seasons with the theatre in Taormina. (See the section below for details.)

Segesta (anciently Egesta) was one of the few Sicilian cities founded by the Elymians, one of the so-called indigenous peoples of Sicily. The Elymians were apparently less numerous and their dominions less widespread than the better-known Sicani (Sicily's earliest civilization) and Sicels (an Italic people of eastern Sicily), Sicily's other two native (pre-Greek) peoples. The only inhabited city still existing that was likely founded by the Elymians is Erice, known as "Eryx" in ancient times and colonized by Carthaginians as well as Greeks. Entella, an abandoned city near the present-day Contessa Entellina, was also founded by the Elami. Taking these three sites as reference points, we can speculate that the territory occupied by the Elami was relatively small, and seems to have consisted of the mountainous interior portion of the present-day province of Trapani and extending perhaps to include small areas of the province of Palermo and a northwestern area of the province of Agrigento. Considering that Segesta is about 25 kilometers east of Erice, and that Entellina is about 40 kilometers east-southeast of Segesta, the length of the Elymians' domain was about 65 kilometers, or 40 miles.

Very little indisputable information regarding the origins of the Elymians exists, though there is no dearth of theories regarding their history. According to the Athenian historian Thucydides, the Elymians were descended from Trojan refugees who fled to Sicily when their own city fell to the Greeks. Settling in northwestern Sicily, these refugees soon started to intermarry with the local Sicanian population, and passed on their superior culture to these natives, thus establishing a new civilization. The earliest archeological traces of Segesta have been dated to circa 1200 BC, theoretically consistent with a Trojan origin, though Thucydides' story may simply have been an attempt to identify pre-Greek Sicilian peoples as Hellenic and thus justify the mass colonization of Sicily by Greeks. It is more probable, based on available archeological evidence, that the Elymians --though an eastern Mediterranean people-- came from western Asia (present-day Turkey) via Africa. (Our article on the Elymians discusses this in greater detail.)

Inscriptions in what is presumed to be the Elymian language, written in Phoenician and Greek characters, have been found at Segesta. The most logical conclusion that can be drawn from all the available evidence is that the Elymians were a people of eastern Mediterranean origin who rapidly amalgamated with at least some of their indigenous neighbors. A mark of the level of civilization achieved by the 'Elami' is reflected in the marriage practices of the Greeks who arrived in the area circa 650 BC. The Greeks freely intermarried with the Elymians, but initially prohibited marriage with the Sicani, who they considered barbarians.

Though founded centuries earlier, the recorded history of Segesta begins around 500 BC. The Greek colony of Selinunte, just 60 kilometers south of Segesta on the southwest coast of Sicily, had dramatically grown and prospered in the150 years from its founding around 650 BC. This alarmed the Segestans, who initially welcomed the Greeks but now viewed the rapidly expanding power of Selinunte as a serious threat. Likewise the Carthaginians, whose cities were spread from Mozia, near present-day Marsala, to Solunto, viewed the Greeks as a double-edged menace rapidly approaching them on two fronts: Himera on the northern coast and Selinunte on the southern one. Segesta allied itself with Carthage. However, with the great victory of the combined Greek armies over the Carthaginians at Himera in 480 BC, the Segestans quickly changed sides, becoming allies of one of the victorious Greek cities. (The Greeks often fought among themselves; the Greek colonies in Sicily were rarely united and had been founded by Greeks from various cities in Greece).

A colorful theory is widely accepted which advances a reason for the temple's construction. In 450 BC, Segesta's dreaded rival, Selinunte allied herself with Syracuse, mightiest of all the states of Magna Graecia. Segesta sought help outside Sicily, turning to Greece itself and beseeching mighty Athens for aid. To the Athenians, Segesta was only a distant city of little importance. Before the Athenians would consider Segesta an ally, they deemed it proper to send a delegation of diplomatic envoys to investigate the city's claims of great wealth. In order to deceive the Athenians into thinking their city more prosperous than it actually was, the Segestans built the temple to impress their visitors. Once the envoys departed, convinced of Segesta's wealth, work on the Temple ceased. Yet, its incompleteness cannot compromise its grandeur.

For Visitors: It's convenient to drive from Palermo, though bus service from that city is tricky. At Segesta's archaeological park, there's a shuttle bus to take you from the parking area to the monuments. The nearest locality is Calatafimi.

Dramatic Productions: Each Summer, a series of classical Greek dramas is performed (in Italian) at Segesta's ancient amphitheatre, but many of these productions feature actors and actresses wearing casual clothes instead of classical costumes. Since important promotional elements like online schedules --in English-- and advance ticket sales have been ignored, it's difficult to plan a Segesta show as part of your trip.