Ortygia (; it, Ortigia; grc-gre, Ὀρτυγία) is a small

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An isla ...

which is the historical centre of the city of

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 ...

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

. The island, also known as the ''Città Vecchia'' (Old City), contains many historical landmarks. The name originates from the

ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic pe ...

''ortyx'' (ὄρτυξ), which means "Quail".

Overview

Moneta d'argento di siracusa, 415-400 ac

The Homeric Hymn to Delian Apollo has it that the goddess

Leto In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Leto (; grc-gre, Λητώ , ''Lētṓ'', or , ''Lātṓ'' in Doric Greek) is a goddess and the mother of Apollo, the god of music, and Artemis, the goddess of the hunt.Hesiod, ''Theogony'404–409/ref> ...

stopped at Ortygia to give birth to

Artemis In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Artemis (; grc-gre, Ἄρτεμις) is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She was heavily identified with ...

, the firstborn of her twins. Artemis then helped Leto across the sea to the island of

Delos The island of Delos (; el, Δήλος ; Attic: , Doric: ), near Mykonos, near the centre of the Cyclades archipelago, is one of the most important mythological, historical, and archaeological sites in Greece. The excavations in the island ar ...

, where Leto gave birth to

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

. Other ancient sources state that the twins were born in the same place – which was either

or Ortygia – but Ortygia, according to Strabo was an old name of Delos. Further, there were perhaps a half-dozen other places called Ortygia, so that the identification is uncertain.Hammond and Scullard (editors). ''The Oxford Classical Dictionary'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1970), 760. It was also said that Asteria, the sister of Leto, metamorphosed into a quail (Ortyx), threw herself into the sea, and was metamorphosed into the island of Ortygia. Another myth suggested that it was Delos, rather than Ortygia. Eos, the goddess of the dawn, fell in love with the mortal hunter Orion and abducted him to Ortygia, where he met Artemis and joined her retinue. He was slain by the goddess either for because the gods did not approve of goddesses taking mortal men to lovers,

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

, ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Iliad'', ...

'
5.121–124
/ref> or for challenging her in an archery contest, or trying to force himself upon one of her maids.Pseudo-Apollodorus, '' Bibliotheca'
1.4.4
/ref> Ortygia was the mythological home of Arethusa, a chaste

nymph A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ...

who, while fleeing a river god, was transformed by

into a spring, traversed underground and appeared here, thus providing water for the city. Arethusa and her pursuer, the river god Alpheus, came from Arcadia in Greece.

History

Ortygia, being an island just off the coast, was easily transformed into a natural fortress with harbors and was big enough that it could hold a significant population in ancient times. Therefore, the history of Ortygia is synonymous with the early history of Syracuse.

Location

Ortygia is located at the eastern end of Syracuse and is separated from it by a narrow channel. Two bridges connect the island to mainland Sicily. The island is a popular location for tourists, shopping, entertainment and is also a residential area.

Subdistricts

*Graziella ( scn, Razziedda) *Bottari ( scn, 'Uttari) *Mastrarua ( scn, Masciarrò) *Spirduta ( scn, Spidduta) *Maestranza ( scn, Mascianza) *Duomo ( scn, Domu) *Giudecca ( scn, Jureca) *Turba ( scn, Tubba) *Castello Maniace ( scn, Casteddu)

Landmarks

Cathedral of Syracuse The Cathedral of Syracuse (''Duomo di Siracusa''), formally the ''Cattedrale metropolitana della Natività di Maria Santissima'', is an ancient Catholic Church, Catholic church in Syracuse, Sicily, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Si ...

Piazza A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

del Duomo, Syracuse *Piazza Archimede * Fountain of Arethusa

References

External links

Levinson Travel Guides

Google Satellite Imagery

Ortigia Island Website

Ortigia Island Photos

Official Fan Page
{{authority control Locations in Greek mythology Ancient Syracuse Islands of Sicily Syracuse, Sicily Leto he:סירקוזה#אורטיג'יה