![\"IMAG0364\"](\"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/italian-3008-spring-2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/114\/2016\/03\/IMAG0364-300x169.jpg\")
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We learned in the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento that the Temple of Olympian Zeus there was extremely unique in Sicily and the larger Greek world. \u00a0Of the Doric order, the temple itself would have been enormous if completed, measuring fourteen columns long by seven columns wide. \u00a0This would have made it the largest Doric temple ever built. \u00a0The monstrous monument likely commemorated the victory of Akragas (Agrigento) over Carthage in the battle of Himera (~480 BC), which definitely would have been a great accomplishment for the comparatively small city and its allies. \u00a0Returning to the details of the temple itself, the odd width in columns would have been extremely uncommon since it would have caused there to be two separate entrances. \u00a0 Additionally, unlike any other temple we saw on the trip, the columns were (supposed to be) engaged with a wall, presumably what would have formed the entrance or entrances in a more natural way.<\/span><\/p>\n We also learned about the <\/span>telamones<\/span><\/i>, or giants, which would have been extremely unusual features on a Greek temple. \u00a0Other than in the case of caryatid columns, figures were not known to be incorporated into the temple fa\u00e7ade in such a way. \u00a0And for those of us who had read any of the Iliad, we immediately recognized the root \u03c4\u03b5\u03bb\u03b1\u03bc\u03c9\u03bd, -\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2 in the name of Ajax\u2019s father, the hero Telamon (\u03a4\u03b5\u03bb\u03b1\u03bc\u03c9\u03bd). \u00a0Professor Boyd explained that \u03c4\u03b5\u03bb\u03b1\u03bc\u03c9\u03bd means \u201cbearing\u201d or \u201cenduring,\u201d which helps to characterize Telamon and his lineage, especially Ajax, who is extremely strong (enduring) and nearly a giant himself. \u00a0Ajax\u2019s patronymic actually helps to define his character. <\/span><\/p>\n We learned in the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento that the Temple of Olympian Zeus there was extremely unique in Sicily and the larger Greek world. \u00a0Of the Doric order, the temple itself would have been enormous if completed, measuring fourteen columns long by seven columns wide. \u00a0This would have made it the largest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":353,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-434","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sicily","7":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/italian-3008-spring-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/italian-3008-spring-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/italian-3008-spring-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/italian-3008-spring-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/353"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/italian-3008-spring-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=434"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/italian-3008-spring-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/italian-3008-spring-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/italian-3008-spring-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/italian-3008-spring-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"IMAG0375\"](\"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/italian-3008-spring-2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/114\/2016\/03\/IMAG0375-169x300.jpg\")
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