Centuripe (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

: Centuripae; Sicilian: Centorbi) is a town and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' in the

province of Enna Enna ( it, Provincia di Enna; sicilian language, Sicilian: ''Pruvincia di Enna''; officially ''Libero consorzio comunale di Enna'') is a Provinces of Italy, province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy. It was created in 1927, out ...

(

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

). The city is from

Enna Enna ( or ; grc, Ἔννα; la, Henna, less frequently ), known from the Middle Ages until 1926 as Castrogiovanni ( scn, Castrugiuvanni ), is a city and located roughly at the center of Sicily, southern Italy, in the province of Enna, towering ...

in the hill country between the Rivers Dittaìno and Salso. The economy is mostly based on agriculture. There are caves for sulphur and salt mineral, and water springs. Termecenturipe

History

Thucydides Thucydides (; grc, , }; BC) was an Athenian historian and general. His '' History of the Peloponnesian War'' recounts the fifth-century BC war between Sparta and Athens until the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been dubbed the father of " scienti ...

mentions ''Kentoripa'' (Κεντόριπα) as a city of the

Sicels The Sicels (; la, Siculi; grc, Σικελοί ''Sikeloi'') were an Italic tribe who inhabited eastern Sicily during the Iron Age. Their neighbours to the west were the Sicani. The Sicels gave Sicily the name it has held since antiquity, b ...

, Hellenized in the 5th century BC. It became an ally of the

Athenians Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

at the time of their expedition against

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy * Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' * Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York ** North Syracuse, New York * Syracuse, Indiana *Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, M ...

, and maintained its independence almost uninterruptedly (though it fell under the power of

Agathocles Agathocles ( Greek: ) is a Greek name, the most famous of which is Agathocles of Syracuse, the tyrant of Syracuse. The name is derived from , ''agathos'', i.e. "good" and , ''kleos'', i.e. "glory". Other personalities named Agathocles: *Agathocles ...

) until the

First Punic War The First Punic War (264–241 BC) was the first of Punic Wars, three wars fought between Roman Republic, Rome and Ancient Carthage, Carthage, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the early 3rd century BC. For 23 years ...

when it immediately submitted to the Romans. It was thus granted

Latin Rights Latin rights (also Latin citizenship, Latin: ''ius Latii'' or ''ius latinum'') were a set of legal rights that were originally granted to the Latins (Latin: "Latini", the People of Latium, the land of the Latins) under Roman law in their origin ...

before the rest of Sicily and was a (free city exempted from tax). In the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC Centuripe Ware was a distinctive class of

Sicilian vase painting Sicilian vase painting was a regional style of South Italian red-figure vase painting. It was one of five South Italian regional styles. The vase painting of Sicily was especially closely connected with the Lucanian and Paestan styles. Overvie ...

, with the unusual feature of fully coloured painting in

tempera Tempera (), also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of colored pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually glutinous material such as egg yolk. Tempera also refers to the paintings done ...

applied after firing was complete.

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

described it, perhaps with some exaggeration, as being by far the largest and richest city of Sicily, and as having a population of 10,000, engaged in the cultivation of an extensive territory. It appears to have suffered much in the war against Sextus Pompeius because of its loyalty to Octavian, but Octavian reconstructed and gave the inhabitants Roman citizenship. The Imperial Roman age has left the most impressive monumental remains. Grandiose monumental ruins, a rich complex of sculptures, numerous inscriptions: a whole series of elements seem to mark the accomplishments of a local family that, in the 2nd century, came to express a consul, a son of one of the components of the entourage of the emperor

Hadrian Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania ...

. A large number of monumental remains were lost forever due to the neglect of the past and systematic theft and plundering for collectors and collections of every where. It gradually declined in the late Empire. Emperor Frederick II entirely destroyed the city in 1233 in punishment for its rebellion, the inhabitants deported to Augusta. King

Charles I of Anjou Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou, was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the second House of Anjou. He was Count of Provence (1246–85) and Forcalquier (1246–48, 1256–85) i ...

razed it completely to the ground, and the city was rebuilt only in 1548 by

Francesco I Moncada Francesco Moncada de Luna, prince of Paternò (1510 –23 February 1566) was an Italian nobleman in Spanish-ruled Sicily. He was invested as the first prince of Paternò by King Phillip II of Spain. Biography He was born in Caltanissetta, son of An ...

, the future Prince of Paternò. The city was known as Centorbi until 1863. In 1943 during World War II and the liberation of Sicily the

Battle of Centuripe The Battle of Centuripe was fought from 2 to 4 August 1943, as part of the Allied invasion of Sicily during World War II. The 78th ''Battleaxe'' Division, of the British Eighth Army, was engaged in fierce fighting around the town of Centuripe i ...

saw the town captured spectacularly from the defending Germans by the

38th (Irish) Infantry Brigade The 38th (Irish) Brigade, is a brigade formation of the British Army that served in the Second World War. It was composed of North Irish line infantry regiments and served with distinction in the Tunisian and Italian Campaigns. Following the e ...

although it suffered some damage.

Main monuments

Many remains of the ancient city, mostly of the Roman period, still exist and numerous antiquities, including some fine

Hellenistic In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

terra-cottas, were discovered in casual

excavations In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

. Other sights include the '' Chiesa Madre'' (17th century) and the ruins of the so-called Castle of

Conradin Conrad III (25 March 1252 – 29 October 1268), called ''the Younger'' or ''the Boy'', but usually known by the diminutive Conradin (german: link=no, Konradin, it, Corradino), was the last direct heir of the House of Hohenstaufen. He was Duke ...

, in fact a Roman mausoleum of the Imperial age.

Archaeological sites

Centuripe and the surrounding territory are the subject of archaeological research and numerous sites have been found: *Amara Water Zone: Thermal remains of the Hellenistic- Roman age *Sorgiva Bagni: Roman spa remains *District Agliastrello: remains of a town *District Bagni: (to the north) Hellenistic necropolis *District Casino: Necropolis from the Iron Age, with stone circle tombs, with multiple burials; used until the Hellenistic age *District Cuba in Muglia: Prehistoric settlement and necropolis from the Neolithic age to the Ancient Bronze age *District Difesa: Large ceramic kilns *District Piano Pozzi: Remains of inhabited area (south-east) Hellenistic necropolis *District Biliuzzo: Hellenistic necropolis *Carcaci hamlet: rock necropolis; remains of the Bronze Age; Roman age structures *Castellaccio: Hellenistic furnace; remains of a medieval castle *Corradino Castle: Roman Mausoleum *Monte Calvario: Remains of town *Castiglione collection: Embankment wall *Fondo Testai: ancient cistern *Vallone Gelso: remains of inhabited areas, necropolis from the 8th century BC to the Hellenistic period *Monte Porcello: Remains of Greek-Hellenistic settlement *Mulino Barbagallo: monumental complex (ancient seat of the "Augustali") with marble statues of Augustus, Drusus, etc. *Panneria: Roman house *Piano Capitano: Extensive necropolis from the 8th century BC to the Hellenistic period *Road Catenanuova to Centuripe: ancient furnace *Road of Panaria: House of the masks and remains of inhabited areas *Vallone Defesa: location of the ancient gymnasium In the city centre: *Hellenistic-Roman centre with walls, inhabited area and furnaces. *Chiesa del Crocifisso: Hellenistic-Roman structures with mosaic "ancient rooms" *La Dogana: Fountain-cistern of the Roman-imperial age Ruins, walls and remains of buildings near the churches *Chiesa del Crocifisso: embankment wall *Church of the Maddalena: ancient wall *Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie: ancient wall *Mother Church: ruins *Addolorata Church: ancient remains *Colle dell'Annunziata *Convent of Sant'Agostino: Ruins *Fondo Calcerano: Ancient building *The Ancient Stables *Via Fragalà: ancient rooms *Via Scipione: remains of a village

Roman bridge

Roman Centuripe was on an important route, the ''via frumentaria'' that connected Catania to the Tyrrhenian coast along the Simeto river; it joined

Aetna Aetna Inc. () is an American managed health care company that sells traditional and consumer directed health care insurance and related services, such as medical, pharmaceutical, dental, behavioral health, long-term care, and disability plans, ...

(Paternò), Centuripe,

Agyrium ''Agyrium'' is a genus of saprophytic fungi in the family Agyriaceae. It probably evolved from a lichen ancestor, as it is closely related to many lichenized species of fungi. Taxonomy ''Agyrium'' was first proposed by Elias Magnus Fries in h ...

(Agira), Assorum (Assoro), Henna (

) and continued up to Termini Imerese. The strategic position of the city allowed the control both of this road and of that from the North continuing towards Leontini. The discovery of a paved stretch of road along the Simeto river and some ruined sections of the destroyed Roman Bridge of Centuripe,centuripe simeto escursione al ponte romano di houel https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20140522020422/http://www.siciliantica.eu/news-285-centuripe++simeto+escursione+al+ponte+romano+di+houel.asp?_x_tr_sl=it&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=op,sc# forgotten for centuries due to a deviation of the river, have advanced the hypothesis of finding the via frumentaria to some scholars. The bridge is located near the Ponte Barca of Biancavilla and consists of four large segments aligned in the WNW/ESE direction, of a width of about 3 m and a length of 6–8 m each. The monument dates from the second century, probably linked to

Quintus Pompeius Sosius Falco Quintus Pompeius Sosius Falco (flourished 190s) was a Roman senator, who was active during the reign of Commodus. He was '' consul ordinarius'' in 193 with Gaius Julius Erucius Clarus Vibianus as his colleague. Falco was the son of Quintus Pomp ...

, curator of the viae Traianae between 108 and 112.

The Askos of Centuripe

In the 1820s an askos (flattened vase) dating to the first half of the 5th century BC was found (now in the archaeological museum of Karlsruhe) with the longest Sicel inscription found to date.

The Archaeological Regional Museum of Centuripe

In the town of Centuripe is the Regional Archaeological Museum of Centuripe, the museum contains the largest collection of

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

finds in central Sicily and important and rare statues of the emperors

and

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

Twin towns

* Lanuvio, Italy

References

External links

* {{authority control Municipalities of the Province of Enna 5th-century BC establishments in Italy Archaeological sites in Sicily