Akragas district razed by the Carthaginians re-emerges in Agrigento

In the Valley of the Temples of Agrigento, between the Montana houses and the Kolymbethra garden, monumental walls and buildings destroyed in 406 BC have been brought to light, along with ancient hydraulic channels and an underground chamber reconstructed by archaeologists. This is reported by AgrigentoNotizie: the news currently comes from a single source, and no independent confirmation is available at this time.

The discoveries come from the third excavation campaign conducted by the University of Milan, which will conclude on October 24. The mission is led by Professor Claudia Lambrugo together with Park archaeologist Maria Concetta Parello, with support from the Fai Foundation. On the Montana houses plateau, the team has opened two excavation areas, each measuring about ten meters by ten.

The district brought to light was part of ancient Akragas, the Greek city founded in Sicily, and its destruction dates back to the Carthaginian siege of 406 BC, an event that, according to the source, abruptly interrupted urban life in that area, leaving structures buried under rubble for over two thousand years. The hydraulic channels identified next to the monumental walls suggest an articulated water management system, while the reconstructed underground chamber raises questions about the original function of the subterranean space.

The excavation site, opened in the heart of Sicily’s largest archaeological park, joins other active lines of research in the Valley of the Temples, confirming the area as one of the island’s busiest archaeological hotspots in this excavation season. The campaign, due to close in a week’s time, leaves open the possibility of further discoveries in the two areas still being excavated.

It remains to be seen what results will emerge from the final weeks of the campaign before the scheduled closure on October 24, and whether other scientific institutions will subsequently confirm the interpretation proposed by the University of Milan team regarding the function of the channels and the underground chamber found.