Agrigento, an entire district of ancient Akragas resurfaces after 2,400 years

In the Valley of the Temples of Agrigento, archaeologists from the Università degli Studi di Milano have brought to light an entire district of the ancient city of Akragas, which had remained unknown for over two thousand years. The news is reported by AgrigentoNotizie, which attributes the discovery to the university mission; at present this is a single source, with no further independent confirmation of the scale of the find.

The excavations have uncovered monumental walls, remains of buildings destroyed during the Carthaginian siege of 406 BC, and ancient hydraulic channels. The destruction dating back to that siege provides archaeologists with a precise chronological reference point for dating the most recent layers of the resurfaced district, while the hydraulic channels open a window onto the city’s urban organization before its devastation.

The mission is led by Professor Claudia Lambrugo, of the Università degli Studi di Milano, together with the Park’s archaeologist Maria Concetta Parello. The excavation campaign will conclude on October 24, a deadline that leaves the team a few more days of fieldwork before the seasonal closure of the site.

The fact that the district remained “unknown for over two thousand years,” as the source reports, indicates that this is an area of the ancient city never systematically investigated before this campaign, despite the Valley of the Temples being one of the most studied archaeological sites in the world. The discovery of monumental walls suggests the presence of significant structures, not simple private dwellings, although the exact nature of the buildings is not yet specified in the available excerpts.

The Carthaginian siege of 406 BC represents, in this context, not only a destructive event but also a chronological seal: everything archaeologists find beneath the destruction layers dates from before that date, offering a snapshot of the city in the moment immediately preceding its fall.

With the campaign’s closure set for October 24, the coming days will be dedicated to completing the surveys of the district brought to light. It is not yet clear, based on the information available, whether the mission will continue with a new campaign in the coming years or whether this is an investigation concluded with this excavation season.