The Park
The archaeological park of Gela rises in the territory connected to it and stretches from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages. Gela was the first colony rhodecretese founded in Sicily in 689-688 BC. The city soon became one of the most important on the island, rivaling Syracuse itself.
Her expansionist aims led her to found in 581 BC. Akragas (Agrigento), and later to extend its domain to the Straits.
In 405 BC it fell, conquered and destroyed by the Carthaginians.
Rebuilt in the 4th century B.C., it was attacked by Syracuse until, between 285 and 282 B.C., the Agrigento tyrant Phintias Rebuilt in the 4th century B.C., it was attacked by Syracuse until, between 285 and 282 B.C., the Agrigento tyrant Phintiade.
The city
The city, rebuilt in the 4th century B.C., was surrounded by an mighty fortification wall, still an outstanding example of a mixed technique structure.
The section of the fortification discovered is in excellent condition of conservation.
On the northern slope of the hill, the walls had an articulated development controlling the plain below and protecting one of the main access gates to the city. The western end of the wall stretches out like a wedge towards the countryside, then goes around the ridge of the hill from the side, setting itself on the slopes overlooking the sea. On the eastern side, the wall had to proceed beyond the stretch to the light and rejoin the walls of the Archaic period.
The walls were accessible from two entrances: The other entrance is located to the west and is a straight door, with sash jambs and a lintel walled in several times with unbaked bricks. The destruction of Gela by Fintia, tyrant of Agrigento, led to its abandonment and the fortification wall lost its function.
Molino a Vento
The Molino a vento site, part of the Archaeological Park of Gela, shows signs of occupation already in prehistoric times. The discovery of Protocorinthian pottery from the last quarter of the 8th century B.C. attests to the presence of an early settlement of protocolones with the name of Lindioi in memory of Lindoscity of the motherland. As early as the first half of the 7th century BC, it saw the emergence of some buildings. A sacellum in antis (Temple A), dedicated to Athena Lindia, the city's patron goddess, whose remains are incorporated into the foundations of a second temple (Temple B), built during the 6th century, and still dedicated to Athena.
During the 6th century, a wall of large square blocks, almost two metres wide, was built on the northern side. In the first half of the 5C BC, the Dinomenids, the lords of the city, laid out the urban layout of the city and built a new temple (Temple C) to celebrate the victory of the Greeks over the Carthaginians at Himera (480 BC). After the major defeat in 405 BC, by the Carthaginians, the acropolis was replaced by the craft districts and some of the reconstructed buildings with a different use.
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