Syracuse - Temple of Apollo

The Temple of Apollo in Syracuse, which was excavated in 1938-43. Built c. 570 B.C., it is Sicily's oldest Doric temple. According to the builder's signature it was dedicated to Apollo by Kleomenes. In later years it was in turn a Byzantine church, an Islamic mosque, a Norman church and a Spanish barracks. The foundations, some columns with their entablatures and parts of the cella wall have survived. The stylobate base measures 21.57m/70.8ft by 55.33m/181.5ft, with six pillars at the end and 17 along the sides - a ground plan which came about because contemporary temples in Greece itself which had only 15 pillars along the sides also had a portico with six columns across and two lengthwise. This led to the emphasis being put on the entrance being on the east side, which was to become a typical feature of many Sicilian temples. The massive monolithic columns, scarcely 8m/26ft tall, have only 16 flutes instead of the more usual 20, and are so close together that the space between is less than the diameter of the columns. The naos consists of a pronaos, cella with twin rows of internal columns, and an adyton in place of the opisthodomos. Finds made, including some painted roof mouldings (cymas) in terracotta, are now housed in the Archeological Museum.