Sicily: Then and Now!
By ! Tom Carroll
19 Jan 2008
The Greeks called it Trinacria: the three-pointed island. Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea west of mainland Italy, the size of Vermont, and has a population of 5,132,000. Palermo is the capital (with a population of 680,810) and, at 38 degrees north, is at the same latitude as Charlottesville, Virginia. Sicily has, variously, been ruled since the 8th century BC by the Phoenicians, the Carthaginians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs, the Normans, the Swabians, the Angevins, the Aragonese (Spain), the Bourbons, the British, and, most recently, the Mafia.
The ancient city of Mozia was founded in the late 8th century BC by the Phoenicians on the island of San Pantaleo immediately off the west coast of Sicily. The Carthaginians on Mozia made offerings to their god, Ba'al, who demanded the life of each man's firstborn son. In their sanctuary called a tophet, on Mozia's northwest shore, the priests strangled the baby boys. Mozia's pottery workshops produced masks to put into the urns with the boys' ashes --- masks depicting faces smiling and sad at the same time --- to convey to the gods the mixed emotions of the sacrificing parents.
The Greeks ruled Sicily, after a fashion, from approximately 800 BC to 200 BC. The Valley of the Temples at Agrigento, on the south coast, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was founded in 580 BC. Pindar, a city resident, described it as "the fairest city of mortals." In 406 BC, the Carthaginians, under Hannibal and Himilco took the city (population 200,000) and burned it after a siege of eight months.
Syracuse on the east coast was an ancient Greek city as important as Athens or Rome during the 5th century BC. The Greek theater at Syracuse is one of the largest Greek theaters known (138 m in diameter). It could hold an audience of at least 15,000 and was begun in the 6th century BC. In 476 BC, Aeschylus staged his play, "Women of Aetna", here; his "Persian Women" was performed shortly afterwards. The theater is still in use today.
The Villa Romana Del Casale in central Sicily was built between the 2nd and 4th centuries and was home to a major Roman politician, and possibly the Emperor. The mosaics on the floors and walls of the villa are some of the most extensive and beautiful Roman mosaics known. The mosaics include hunting scenes, feasting scenes, erotic scenes, and a scene depicting Odysseus offering the Cyclops wine.
Cefalu, on the north coast, was founded at the end of the 5th century BC and named for the head-like shape of the rock which towers above the town. In 307 BC the town was taken by Agathocles of Syracuse. In 857 it was conquered by the Arabs. In 1131, Roger II rebuilt the town and constructed the magnificent cathedral which, in turn, became the head of a powerful bishopric.
On the slopes of the mountain behind Palermo, overlooking the Conca d'Ora, Monreale is the site of one of the most superb churches in the world today and certainly the most important Norman building in Sicily with wonderful mosaics. It was founded in 1174 by William II, the last of the great Norman kings. The King justified the enormous expense by telling of a dream he had while sleeping under a carob tree during a hunting expedition. The Madonna told him to dig under the tree and use the treasure he would find there to build her a great church. How easy can it be! The magnificent series of mosaics tells in pictures the stories of the Old and New Testaments. Both Greek and Byzantine artists worked on the project until it was completed around 1182. A seminal mosaic represents Christ's Ascension and the Assumption of the Virgin to celebrate the Norman monarchy and to emphasize its affinity with Jerusalem. It is estimated that the mosaics were made using 2,200 kg of pure gold (or 77,603 Krugerrands).
Along the west coast, the Phoenicians started the sea-salt industry that continues to this day between Trapani and Marsala to the south. Windmills are used to process sea-salt near the city of Trapani on the west coast. The wind and sun here favor evaporation when the seawater has naturally high salinity. From February to March seawater is pumped into the salt pans. The water level is gradually decreased encouraging evaporation. The harvest begins in July, before total evaporation, avoiding the deposits of harmful minerals. The salt is then raked from the pans into large mounds to dry. The Dutch windmills, originally built in the 18th century with several in use today, employ an Archimedes' screw to raise the seawater from one pan to the next in the spring, and are used to grind the salt in the summer.
The three Egadi Islands that form a mini-archipelago off the coast of Trapani are Favignana, Levanzo and Marettimo; they count some 4,600 inhabitants. The islands have been inhabited since prehistoric times (indeed, it is thought that Levanzo and Favignana formed part of the main island of Sicily in during the Paleolithic). Fishing is the principal industry of the island.
Sciacca is a larger fishing village (population 38,000) on the southern coast of the island between Selinute to the west and Agrigento to the east. Sciacca was founded in the 5th century BC by the Greeks as a thermal spa for nearby Selinunte. It is an important fishing harbor where approximately 5,000 tons of fish are processed daily. The people of Sciacca build many of their own boats. The town took the name after the Arab domination (9th-11th century AD). Sciacca is also the center of a thriving pottery industry.
Sicily: a land of enchantment that I recommend to your attention.
