The Atlas statue will soon be raised upright to stand in front of the temple. Photograph: Yuriy Brykaylo/Alamy
Posted on 07/15/2020 8:04:50 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
A colossal statue of Atlas, buried for centuries among ancient ruins, will soon take its rightful place among the ancient Greek temples of Agrigento on Sicily.
The city's archaeological park announced that the artwork, one of the most celebrated sculptures on the island, will be raised upright in front of the Temple of Zeus.
In Greek mythology, Atlas was a Titan or god who was forced to bear the sky on his shoulders after being defeated by Zeus, one of the next generation of gods called Olympians.
The statue, eight metres high and built in the 5th century BC, was one of nearly 40 that adorned the ancient building, considered the largest Doric temple ever built, even if it was never completed and now lies in ruins...
Archaeologists and architects will soon start work to raise the statue in Sicily's Valley of the Temples on the occasion of the founding of the ancient city of Akragas (now Agrigento) 2,600 years ago.
It was one of the leading population centres in the region during the golden age of Ancient Greece and holds seven well-preserved Greek temples...
The city was destroyed in 406 BC by the Carthaginians, and its prosperity did not return until the rise of Timoleon in the late third century BC. During the Punic wars, the Carthaginians defended the settlement against the Romans, who seized control of the city in 210 BC.
During the Roman era, the city - renamed Agrigentum (subsequently known as Girgenti) - underwent a period of monumental urban redevelopment with new public buildings, including at least two temples.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
The Atlas statue will soon be raised upright to stand in front of the temple. Photograph: Yuriy Brykaylo/Alamy
I hope it does not hit anyone when it gets pulled down.
Disgusting - those Romans and Greeks started this whole slave thing (/sarcasm)
HE LOOKS WHITE! TEAR IT DOWN!
Antifa, BLM, and the Taliban are racing to see who can tear it down first.
He should shrug.
L
“He should shrug.”
—
He’s a slacker - I don’t see him totin’ no globe.
Hope they’re not having the trouble like we are here. If it is pulled down it could kill someone.
BTW Thanks for the ping!
Shhhh. Don’t tell BLM. The Greeks were right into slavery
Eight meters is not that high these days (just a bit over 24 feet - hell, I had 20 foot ceilings in some rooms in my last house). If they want to rebuild it make it 100 meters high.
Atlas was a Globe Trotter, not a Globe totter. He was actually black, like Jesus.
My pleasure.
LOL
That’s a tired looking statute, let him rest!
(A bit out of condition too, even to just stand!)
I am curious how they're going to do it.
I’ve visited Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples via Youtube. It’s incredibly beautiful.
Sicilia was Little Greece back when.
:^) Magna Graecia, “Great Greece” = Campania, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily.
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/sicily/index
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