Area archeologica di Monte Iato
Remains of a Hellenistic town on the summit of Monte Iato at 850 metres, with a theatre, an agora, a bouleuterion and a large peristyle house; Antiquarium in the Case D'Alia.
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About the museum
On the summit of Monte Iato, on a wide plateau at about 850 metres above sea level, visitors can see the remains of an urban centre founded at the beginning of the first millennium BC by the indigenous Sicanian and Elymian peoples, who came into contact with the Greeks at the end of the 7th century BC. Around the mid-6th century BC a group of Greek colonists probably settled in the town: this is suggested by the temple of Aphrodite, a sacred building without an external colonnade built around 550 BC, and by material of indigenous and colonial tradition found in a large Archaic house. The Greek name was Iaitas; in Latin it was Ietas.
The town, protected by a circuit of walls, extended over about 40 hectares. In the Hellenistic age, between the 4th and 2nd centuries BC, it was renewed with a regular road network and important public buildings: a theatre for about 4,400 spectators, a porticoed agora, two bouleuteria and residential quarters. The “Casa a peristilio 1” (Peristyle House 1) is one of the largest in the Hellenistic Greek world, with more than 1,600 square metres on two floors. Inhabited until the medieval period, it became a stronghold of rebellious Muslims, and in 1246 it was destroyed by Frederick II, who deported its inhabitants to Apulia.
Since 1971 annual excavation campaigns have been carried out by the Institute of Archaeology of the University of Zurich, joined from 2011 by that of the University of Innsbruck. The Antiquarium, set up in the Case D'Alia, displays a selection of the finds, including large sculptures of maenads and satyrs from the theatre and a wall painted in the First Pompeian Style.
Highlights
- Hellenistic theatre for about 4,400 spectators
- Porticoed agora and two bouleuteria
- Peristyle House 1, more than 1,600 m² on two floors
- Remains of the temple of Aphrodite (c. 550 BC)
- Antiquarium with sculptures of maenads and satyrs and a First Pompeian Style fresco
- Operated by
- Parco archeologico di Himera, Solunto e Iato
- Visitors per year
- approx. 5,542
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €4 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €2citizens of the European Union aged 18 to 25 (the same concessions apply to citizens of non-EU countries on condition of reciprocity) |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Free admission for under-18s |
| Visitors with disabilities | freecompanion free · Free admission for people with disabilities and a companion |
| Antiquarium of Monte Iato | €4Reduced €2 |
Free admission: First Sunday of every month
Free admission for under-18s, people with disabilities and a companion, EU tour guides and interpreters, ICOM members, EU teachers and school groups accompanied by their teachers (with booking), and other categories set out in regional regulations. Free admission on the first Sunday of every month.
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