Morgantina

Morgantina
Μοργάντιον / Μοργαντίνη
View of Morgantina's Hellenistic agora. An Iron Age settlement was located on the Cittadella hilltop in the background. Mount Etna is seen in the distance.
Morgantina is located in Sicily
Morgantina
Shown within Sicily
Alternative nameMorgantia, Morgantium, Morgentia, Murgantia, Murgentia
LocationAidone, Province of Enna
Coordinates37°25′51″N 14°28′46″E / 37.43083°N 14.47944°E / 37.43083; 14.47944
TypeSettlement
History
PeriodsLate Bronze Age to Roman Republic
Site notes
Excavation dates1884, 1912, 1955–1963, 1966–1967, 1968–1972, 1978–present
ArchaeologistsLuigi Pappalardo, Paolo Orsi, Erik Sjöqvist, Richard Stillwell, Hubert L. Allen, William A. P. Child, Malcolm Bell III, Carla Antonaccio
ManagementSoprintendenza BB.CC.AA. di Enna
WebsiteArea Archeologica Morgantina (in Italian)
The Greek theater, the Sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone and the ekklesiasterion
Plan
Agora sanctuary dedicated to Divinia chthonic, the sacred area is characterized by a cylindrical altar and a Botros
House of the Doric capital, mosaic greeting
House of the tank arc

Morgantina (Ancient Greek: Μοργάντιον and Μοργαντίνη) is an archaeological site in east central Sicily, southern Italy. It is sixty kilometres from the coast of the Ionian Sea, in the province of Enna. The closest modern town is Aidone, two kilometres southwest of the site. The site consists of a two-kilometre-long ridge running southwest-northeast, known as Serra Orlando, and a neighbouring hill at the northeast called Cittadella. Morgantina was inhabited in several periods. The earliest major settlement was made at Cittadella and lasted from about 1000/900 to about 450 BCE. The other major settlement was located on Serra Orlando, and existed from about 450 BCE to about 50 CE in Magna Graecia. Morgantina has been the subject of archaeological investigation since the early 20th century.

Serra Orlando was identified as Morgantina by Kenan Erim following the discovery of a number of coins bearing the Latin word HISPANORUM. Erim used these coins and passages from Livy to argue that the city found at Serra Orlando was in fact the ancient city of Morgantina.[1]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference erim was invoked but never defined (see the help page).