Ancient stories found at Morgantina

Located in eastern Sicily, Morgantina is an ancient city that was inhabited in several periods. Its earliest known inhabitant was a pre-Roman Italian group called the Morgetes. Ducetius, leader of the indigenous Sicel population, captured Morgantina in 459 BCE. It was later part of the terms of a truce in the war between Syracuse and the Dorian cities in 427–444 BCE, and Kamarina was destroyed in 405, making Morgantina independent. Dionysios of Syracuse recaptured Morgantina in 396.

In 317, Morgantina received Agathocles, who was in exile at the time. Morgantina fell under Roman hegemony when Hieron became a Roman vassal in 263. In 214, Morgantina switched its allegiance from Rome to Carthage. It was captured by the Romans in 211 and given as payment to Spanish mercenaries. In 133, Eunus, leader of the First Servile War, died in Morgantina. In the Second Servile War, Morgantina was besieged and taken by slaves. Archaeological excavations have been ongoing at Morgantina since the early 20th century, and a new initiative has allowed for the discovery of various monumental structures, including temples, water basins, banqueting rooms, and stone sculpture.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons