Porta Urbica (Syracuse)

Preserved section of the city wall of Porta Urbica from the south

The fragments of the ancient city gate Porta Urbica on the island of Ortygia in Syracuse are the only archaeological evidence of the island city ​​walls that were built under Dionysius I at the end of the 5th century BC. Were erected. As a precaution, the tyrant provided Ortygia with a wall ring after the first war against Carthage , since the core city was to serve him as an armored starting point and retreat in the future. The fortified Ortygia was due to its island location the self-sufficient basis of a comprehensive defensive wall system, which Dionysius I, in anticipation of coming confrontations with Carthage, expanded on the mainland to include Syracuse.

The section of the city wall excavated in 1977/78 for sewer work consists of two approximately 8.35 meters wide, square bases of towers, which stood flanking a culvert, probably with two gates. It is believed that through this entrance a road could be reached that had connected the Temple of Apollo with the Temple of Athena .

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  Right tower base of Porta Urbica from the outside

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  Left limestone tower base from the inside

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  Reconstruction sketch of the Porta Ubrica

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  Map of the Porta Urbica

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  Model section from old Syracuse. The detail shows the island of Ortygia with the location of Porta Urbica (7), the Temple of Apollo (1) and the Temple of Athena (3)

literature

• Martin Dreher Ancient Sicily (= Beck'sche series 2437 C.-H.-Beck-Wissen ). Beck, Munich 2008, ISBN 3-406-53637-9 , Dionysios I. , Pp. 43-55.
• Hans-Peter Drögemüller : Syrakusai. In: The Little Pauly (KlP). Volume 5, Stuttgart 1975, Col. 460-469.

Remarks

1. ↑ Diodor LacusCurtius 14, 7, 2 (online)

Web links

Commons : Porta Urbica (Syracuse)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Tour virtuale isola di Ortigia, La Porta Urbica (www.ortigia.it)

Coordinates: 37 ° 3 ′ 49 ″  N , 15 ° 17 ′ 30 ″  E