SEGESTA
Along the road that connects
Trapani and Alcamo, is
where one can find the ruins of Segesta,
a City which was founded by the Elimi, a
population with non Greek, but continental origins from Anatolici
stock.
In this particular case, the myth helps to
clarify things: after the destruction of Troy, the heroes
Enea and Elimo departed
for Sicily and arrived in Trapani, founding two new cities:
Elima and Egesta from the names Elimo and Egesto, the companions
of Enea. Egesta would therefore be Segesta.
The story is said to be confirmed by both Tucidide
and Plutarco.
The history of Segesta is connected to that of the Greek colony
of Selinunte,
which it was always opposed.
In 580 BC, the clash became war and Selinunte
came out worse.
In 415 BC, Selinunte became a Carthaginian
ally and Segesta therefore asked help from Athens,
which led to the famous and disastrous shipment of
Sicily. This situation
was perfect as Selinunte destroyed Segesta without realising
that in the meantime, it had become an Carthaginian ally.
The direct consequences were a siege and the destruction and
massacre of Selinunte by the Carthaginians.
Segesta was then besieged and destroyed by Agatocle, the tyrant
of Syracuse (6th Century BC).
With the beginning of the clash between the Romans
and the Carthaginians, Segesta, a name which
has Trojan origins, passed immediately over to Rome, giving
it numerous privileges during the Imperial era.
The City was destroyed by the Vandali in
the 5th Century AD.
In Segesta one can admire the largest and most well preserved
example of Doric architecture on the island: a temple
with 36 columns (5th Century BC) with a complete
trabeation and fronton or pediment. In the Mount Barbaro area,
one can instead find the Theatre (III Century
BC) dug out in the natural rock.
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