Camarina

Province: Ragusa

Communications

SS 115 Gela-Cómiso, turning off at Vittória, about 17km/11mi southwest via the fishing village of Scoglitti and the River Ippari.

Location

The ruins of the ancient town of Kamarina/Camarina lie on the south coast on a terrace between the River Ippari (in ancient times Hipparis) and the Cava di Randello.

History

The town was founded from Syracuse at the beginning of the sixth century B.C. (traditionally supposed to be 599 B.C.) at the close of the era of Doric-Syracusan expansion into the southwestern hinterland. Kamarina devoted itself to peaceful economic expansion as far as the Sikel town of Hybla Heraia, with which it united in 533 against its parent city. Syracuse remained victorious and destroyed Kamarina. The town was subsequently to lie in the field of conflict between Gela and Syracuse. It was rebuilt after 492 by Hippocrates of Gela, but only a few years later in 484 B.C. the inhabitants were forced to resettle in Syracuse by Gelon, ruler of that city. Subsequently Kamarina was founded by Gela for the third time in its troubled existence and from 460 went through a period of prosperity. At that time its sphere of influence included distant Morgantina. In 405 B.C. the town and its surroundings were laid waste by Carthage; the people fled to Leontinoi but were subsequently able to return. In the later conflict between Carthage and Rome the latter took the town in 258 B.C., it was destroyed and the population enslaved.