Photo: “Apollontempel (Syrakus) 2”, Rabax63 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized for the web.
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ITALY · 8TH CENTURY BC
Ancient Syracuse (Ortygia)
Συράκουσαι
The UNESCO property has two parts, and Ancient Syracuse is one of them. Settlers from Corinth founded the city on Ortygia in the 8th century BC, and the map marks this original core. Cicero praised Syracuse as the largest and loveliest of the Greek cities. Its 5th-century BC Temple of Athena was later converted into a cathedral, and a Greek theatre and a Roman amphitheatre survive in other parts of the ancient city.
- Original name
- Συράκουσαι
- Country
- Italy
- Period
- 8th century BC
- Civilisation
- Greek
- UNESCO
- On the World Heritage List
- Location
- 37.0594° N, 15.2931° E Open in OpenStreetMap Open in Apple Maps
If Antigone is installed, this button opens the city straight in the app.
Areas of the site
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Ortygia
Ortygia, the island where Syracuse was first settled, keeps the remains of the temples of Apollo and Athena.
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Neapolis Archaeological Park
With its rock-cut Greek theatre, Roman amphitheatre and old quarries, the park lies in Neapolis, on the landward side of the ancient city.