The History - Segesta
Myths, wars and alliances The origins – The first documents where you can find some information about Segesta dates back to the 4th century BC. At that time the city was inhabited by the Elymians. With them the city was very powerful. Although their religion was not Greek, they built a Doric temple, similar to those ones of the larger cities of Magna Graecia. The conflict with Selinunte – Segesta had to fight against nearby towns and in particular with Selinunte to maintain its power and wealth. The consquences of the conflict between Segesta and Selinunte affected the whole Sicily. When the former called for help Athens, it benefited from the situation to reach Sicily and fight against the powerful Syracuse. Since the situation did not improve, Segesta called for help the Carthaginians that destroyed Selinunte but later paid dearly their victory when Dionysius of Syracuse destroyed the Punic island of Mothia. Finally in 307 BC, Agatocles, tyrant of Syracuse, razed the city of the Elymians. The Twilight – The Romans, after the first Punic war, declared the city free (and also free of tax) because of the same Trojan origin. It was destroyed again from the Vandals in the 5th century and then rebuilt. However its golden period was by that time over. The Normans built a castle on the top of the acropolis north. The discovery of a medieval Segesta was a big surprise for all the archaeologists. The excavations brought to light in addition to the castle and the church, a large city covering the area of the acropolis north and part of the acropolis south. Slowly inhabitants left the city to go to live near the sea in Castellammare del Golfo.
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