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Greek city of
Solus
<=”” font=”” color=”#000000″>
in
Sicily
Bronze 12mm (2.17 grams)
Struck late second-early first centuries B.C.
Reference: HGC 2, 1269 (R3); CNS I, p. 312, no. 17
COΛΟΝ/ΤΙΝWΝ,
dolphin
leaping right.
Tuna swimming right.
A Phoenician town not far from
Panormos, and a dependency of Carthage until the First Punic War.
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Soluntum or Solus (Greek:
Σολόεις,
Thuc.
; Σολοῦς,
Diod.
:
Eth.
Σολουντῖνος, Diod., but coins have
Σολοντῖνος;
Italian
Solunto) was an ancient city of
Sicily
, one of the three chief
Phoenician
settlements in the
island
, situated on the north coast, about 16
kilometres (10 mi) east of Panormus (modern
Palermo
), and immediately to the east of the
bold promontory called Capo Zafferano. It lay 183 metres (600 ft) above
sea level
, on the southeast side of Monte
Catalfano 373 metres (1,225 ft), in a naturally strong situation, and commanding
a fine view. Some scholars contend that Soluntum and Solus were two different
cities at close quarters, Soluntum, higher upon the hillside, being a later
habitation displacing the earlier settlement of Solus, at a lower elevation. Its
current site is at the
località
of Sòlanto in the
comune
of
Santa Flavia
.
History
The date of its first occupation is, like that of Panormus (Palermo),
unknown. From its proximity to Panormus, Soluntum was one of the few colonies
that the Phoenicians retained when they gave way before the advance of the Greek
colonies in Sicily, and withdrew to the northwest corner of the island. It then
passed together with Panormus and
Motya
into the hands of the
Carthaginians
, or at least became a dependency
of that people. It continued steadfast to the Carthaginian alliance even in
397 BCE, when the formidable armament of
Dionysius
shook the fidelity of most of their
allies; its territory was in consequence ravaged by Dionysius, but without
effect. At a later period of the war (396 BCE) it was betrayed into the hands of
that despot, but probably soon fell again into the power of the Carthaginians.
It was certainly one of the cities that usually formed part of their dominions
in the island; and in 307 BCE it was given up by them to the soldiers and
mercenaries of
Agathocles
, who had made peace with the
Carthaginians when abandoned by their leader in Africa. During the
First Punic War
we find it still subject to
Carthage, and it was not till after the fall of Panormus that Soluntum also
opened its gates to the
Romans
. It continued to subsist under the Roman
dominion as a
municipal town
, but apparently one of no great
importance, as its name is only slightly and occasionally mentioned by
Cicero
. But it is still noticed both by
Pliny
and
Ptolemy
, where the name is corruptly written
Ὀλουλίς), as well as at a later period by
the Itineraries, which place it 12 miles from Panormus and 12 from Thermae
(modern
Termini Imerese
). Soluntum minted coins in
antiquity. It is probable that its complete destruction dates from the time of
the
Saracens
.
Excavations and
remains
Excavations
have brought to light considerable
remains of the ancient town, belonging entirely to the Roman period, and a good
deal still remains unexplored. The traces of two ancient roads, paved with
large blocks of stone, which led up to the city, may still be followed, and the
whole summit of Monte Catalfano is covered with fragments of ancient walls and
foundations of buildings. Among these may be traced the remains of two temples,
of which some capitals and portions of friezes, have been discovered. An archaic
oriental
Artemis
sitting between a
lion and a
panther
, found here, is in the
museum
at Palermo, with other antiquities from
this site. An
inscription
, erected by the citizens in honor
of
Fulvia Plautilla
, the wife of
Caracalla
, was found there in 1857. With the
exception of the winding road by which the town was approached on the south, the
streets, despite the unevenness of the ground, which in places is so steep that
steps have to be introduced, are laid out regularly, running from east to west
and from north to south, and intersecting at right angles. They are as a rule
paved with slabs of stone. The houses were constructed of rough walling, which
was afterwards plastered
over; the natural rock is often used
for the lower part of the walls. One of the largest of them, with a
peristyle
, was in 1911, though wrongly, called
the
gymnasium
. Near the top of the town are some
cisterns
cut in the rock, and at the summit is
a larger house than usual, with
mosaic
pavements
and
paintings
on its walls. Several sepulchres also
have been found.
Sicily (Italian:
Sicilia
[siˈtʃiːlja]
) is the
largest island
in the
Mediterranean Sea
; along with surrounding minor
islands, it constitutes an
autonomous region
of
Italy
, and it is officially referred to as
Regione Siciliana (Sicilian Region).
Sicily
is located in the central Mediterranean. It extends from the tip of the
Apennine peninsula
, from which it is separated
only by the narrow
Strait of Messina
, towards the North African
coast. Its most prominent landmark is
Mount Etna
, which, at 3,350 m (10,990 ft), is
the tallest active
volcano
in Europe and one of the most active in
the world. The island has a typical
Mediterranean climate
.
The earliest
archeological evidence
of human dwelling on the
island dates from as early as 8000 BC. At around 750 BC, Sicily was host to a
number of Phoenician
and
Greek colonies
, and for the next 600 years, it
was the site of the
Greek–Punic
and
Roman–Punic wars
, which ended with the
Roman
destruction
of
Carthage
. After the fall of the
Roman Empire
in the 5th century AD, Sicily
frequently changed hands, and during the early Middle Ages, it was ruled in turn
by the Vandals
,
Ostrogoths
,
Byzantines
,
Arabs
and
Normans
. Later on, the
Kingdom of Sicily
lasted between 1130 and 1816,
first subordinated to the crowns of
Aragon
,
Spain
, and the
Holy Roman Empire
, and then finally unified
under the
Bourbons
with
Naples
, as the
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
. Following the
Expedition of the Thousand
, a
Giuseppe Garibaldi
-led revolt during the
Italian Unification
process and a plebiscite,
it became part of Italy in 1860. After the
birth of the Italian Republic
in 1946, Sicily
was given special status as an autonomous region.
Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the
arts
,
music
,
literature
,
cuisine
and
architecture
. It also holds importance for
archeological
and ancient sites such as the
Necropolis of Pantalica
, the
Valley of the Temples
and
Selinunte
.
The term “Sicily” is believed to derive from the radix sik, term of
Indo-Germanic origin that denotes enlargement and growth, and from the suffix
-ilia (land). In the Greek language the radix sik is used to identify
certain fruits that grow rapidly as the fig tree (sikè) or pumpkin (sikùs).
So Sicily would mean “the land of fertility, fertility island”.
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