This beautiful temple located at Segesta is a sight to behold in the rolling hills of Sicily. This temple was created by the local inhabitants of Segesta to create an image of wealth in order to solicit the military aid of the Athenian army. The temple, though beautiful, was never completed which can be seen by the rough protrusions sticking out from the stones on the base of the temple. These are necessary to lift the stones into place, but would have been removed in the finishing touches of construction. In addition the columns are not fluted, which again would have been one of the final touches of the temple.
March 12.
This tombstone found in La Zisa in Palermo is an excellent physical representation of the continuous conquests of the island of Sicily. Here the inscription is written in four languages: Arabic, Greek, Latin and Hebrew. This stone gives a great example of how when Sicily was conquered the past was not forgotten, but rather incorporated into the new society of the time.
March 11.
On day one in Palermo we happened upon this beautiful fountain in the Palazzo Pretorio in Palermo. The fountain is thoroughly decorated with statues of human and animal figures and is located just outside of one of the governmental buildings of Palermo. Here is a statute I found particularly interesting; though unlabeled it appears to be a depiction of Hercules and the Hydra.