Nuovi dati sulla “città bassa” di Himera: il santuario e l’agorà

Abstract

In 2021 excavation trenches and geophysical survey were made by a team of the University
of Palermo, in collaboration with the Archaeological Park of Himera, Solunto
and Iato, in the area W of the “Tempio della Vittoria” at Himera. This short campaign
gave decisive results allowing us to reconstruct the agora of Himera much larger
(almost twice) than it was previously hypothesized (S. Vassallo). As a matter of fact,
a wide area with a simple earth floor was cleared, E of which the outer wall was
recognized of two building blocks (separated by an ambitus) belonging to the 2nd insula
of the lower city plan. Only the eastern half of the insula, bordering the agora
square, was constructed; it contained also the public buildings “A” and “B” that were
discovered by Vassallo further N, while in the area immediately E of the new excavations
some Archaic rooms were discovered by N. Allegro, that were superseded
by the big peripteral temple after 480 B.C. The area of the agora, with a likely ratio
1:2, could reach the main plateia probably concealed by modern railway- SS 113
road (approximately 36000 mq). This raises the issue of the relationship between the
sanctuary near the harbor and the agora, from Archaic age.

Keywords: Himera, agora, tempio della Vittoria, sanctuary, urban plan