Himera

Site of the great victory of Gelon (and Theron) over the invading Carthaginians in 480, Himera was a flourishing city in its own right. Today it boasts a fine museum, and a very interesting acropolis site, including housing and a temenos with three temples, including this, the largest, a renovation of an earlier smaller temple (marked by the inner wall):

HimeraAcrop.jpg

At the foot of the hill is the temple that Himera is famous for — some see it as a double of the temple of Athena in Syracuse, and with that temple a double memorial of the victory at Himera. You can test how similar it is when you visit:

Himera2.jpg

Himera1.jpg

It seems to have been cut down when the Carthaginians sacked Himera in 409, apparently to avenge their defeat in 480.