Agrigento

"Akragas" redirects here. For other uses, see Akragas (disambiguation).
Agrigento
Girgenti / Giurgenti (Sicilian)
Ἀκράγας (Akràgas) (Greek)
Comune
Comune di Agrigento
Agrigento skyline
Agrigento skyline
Flag of Agrigento
Flag
Coat of arms of Agrigento
Coat of arms
Motto: 
Signat Agrigentum mirabilis aula gigantum
Location of Agrigento
Map
Agrigento is located in Italy
Agrigento
Agrigento
Location of Agrigento in Italy
Agrigento is located in Sicily
Agrigento
Agrigento
Agrigento (Sicily)
Coordinates: 37°18′45″N 13°34′30″E / 37.31250°N 13.57500°E / 37.31250; 13.57500
CountryItaly
RegionSicily
ProvinceAgrigento (AG)
FrazioniFontanelle, Giardina Gallotti, Monserrato, Montaperto, San Leone, Villaggio La Loggia, Villaggio Mosè, Villaggio Peruzzo, Villaseta
Government
 • MayorFrancesco Miccichè (Ind)
Area
[1]
 • Total
245.32 km2 (94.72 sq mi)
Elevation
230 m (750 ft)
Population
 (31 March 2016)[2]
 • Total
59,791
 • Density240/km2 (630/sq mi)
DemonymsAgrigentines or Girgintans
agrigentini or girgentini (Italian)
giurgintani (Sicilian)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
92100
Dialing code0922
Patron saintSt. Gerland (Gerlando)
Saint day25 February
WebsiteOfficial website

Agrigento (Italian: [aɡriˈdʒɛnto] ⓘ; Sicilian: Girgenti [dʒɪɾˈdʒɛndɪ] or Giurgenti [dʒʊɾˈdʒɛndɪ])[a] is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy and capital of the province of Agrigento.

Founded around 582 BC by Greek colonists from Gela,[3] Agrigento, then known as Akragas, was one of the leading cities during the golden age of Ancient Greece.[4][5][6][7][8] The city flourished under Theron's leadership in the 5th century BC, marked by ambitious public works and the construction of renowned temples.[9]

Despite periods of dormancy during the Punic Wars, Agrigento emerged as one of Sicily's largest cities in the Republican era. During the Principate, Agrigento's strategic port and diverse economic ventures, including sulfur mining, trade and agriculture, sustained its importance throughout the high and late Empire. Economic prosperity persisted in the 3rd to 4th centuries AD, but excavations show decline in activity after the 7th century.[9]

Agrigento is also the place of birth to several notable personalities, among which it is worth to mention Empedocles (5th century BC), the Ancient Greek pre-Socratic philosopher, who was a citizen of ancient Akragas, and Luigi Pirandello (1867–1936), dramatist and Nobel prize winner for literature,who was born at contrada u Càvusu in Agrigento.

  1. ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  3. ^ Bagnall, Roger S.; Brodersen, Kai; Champion, Craige B.; Erskine, Andrew; Huebner, Sabine R., eds. (2013-01-30). "Akragas (Agrigentum)". The Encyclopedia of Ancient History (1 ed.). Wiley. doi:10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah16002. ISBN 978-1-4051-7935-5.
  4. ^ Hooke, N. (1818). The Roman history, from the building of Rome to the ruin of the commonwealth... New ed. Printed for F.C. and J. Rivington. p. 17. Retrieved 2014-10-10.
  5. ^ Lemprière, J. (1842). A Classical Dictionary: Containing a Full Account of All the Proper Names Mentioned in Ancient Authors, with Tables of Coins, Weights, and Measures, in Use Among the Greeks and Romans. To which is Now Prefixed, a Chronological Table. T. Allman. p. 26. Retrieved 2014-10-10.
  6. ^ Royal Institution of Great Britain (1828). Quarterly Journal of Science, Literature, and the Arts. James Eastburn. p. 98. Retrieved 2014-10-10.
  7. ^ Maynard, J. (2005). The Light of Alexandria. Lulu Enterprises Incorporated. p. 35. ISBN 9781411653351. Retrieved 2014-10-10.
  8. ^ Rollin, C.; Bell, J. (1870). The ancient history of the Egyptians, Carthaginians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes and Persians, Grecians and Macedonians: including a history of the arts and sciences of the ancients. Harper & Brothers. p. 286. Retrieved 2014-10-10.
  9. ^ a b Pfuntner, Laura (2019-01-07), 3. The Southwestern Coast: Economic Integration, Political Privilege, and Urban Survival, University of Texas Press, pp. 107–122, doi:10.7560/317228-005, ISBN 978-1-4773-1723-5, S2CID 241124857, retrieved 2024-02-08


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