Temple of Hercules

The temple of Hercules is the most archaic of the great Doric temples in Agrigento, it has been built in the late 6th century BC. Even the attribution of this temple is uncertain: it appears in a passage in Cicero that recalls the existence of a temple dedicated to Hercules in the agora, recognized in the northest area. Built in local limestone, it is a Doric temple, entirely surrounded by columns, six on the fronts and 15 on each of the sides. The columns are tapered, which means they are thinned, upwards, the capitals are of flattened shape and separated from the stem by a groove. Inside the cell has a long and narrow shape and is composed of porch, cell (naos) and opisthodomos. To complete the profile of the roof, gutters with the head of a lion were placed there, two different series of examples were founded, one of the late 6th century and one of the first decades of the 5th century BC. On the eastern side, in the precincts of Villa Aurea, are the remains of an archaic small temple, which refer some architectural terracotta that are displayied at the Archaeological Museum.