Installazioni idrauliche nell’area sacra a Sud del tempio di Zeus Olympios ad Agrigento

This paper will test the relationship between waterand cult in the southern part of the sanctuary of Zeus Olympios atAgrigento. The most singular feature of this area is a monumentalpool, besides some cisterns, buildings and a small oikos temple. Thesacred area was investigated during the 20th century by E. Gabriciand E. De Miro and was referred to a chthonian cult, withoutdeepening the features and modalities of ritual activities. Besides,it was not considered at all as a part of the sanctuary of Zeus,depending on the late chronology assigned to the main buildings.After having defined the character of the context through ananalysis of the architectural remains, the votive and ritual objects,and the imagery, we can now better understand the cult and therole of the hydraulic installations. Several elements, as a matterof fact, suggest that the pool was used for purification ritualsrelating to women and the cisterns were connected with a complexof banquet halls. All the structures belong to the great 5th centuryarchitectural phase of the sanctuary. Moreover, the typology ofthe cisterns (which were supplied by the pool itself) matches thecurrent Early Classical types, as the new survey of the hydraulicstructures of Akragas by G.L. Furcas will demonstrate, suggestinga link between such monumental artifacts and the “Theronian”water system of the town.