Palike ( grc, Παλική; it, Palikè) was an ancient city on
Sicily. Its archeological site is located in Rocchicella on a
spur of
basalt in the valley of the Margi river. It lies at a distance of two kilometers to the west of the ''
comune'' of
Palagonia, but is part of the ''comune'' of
Mineo, both in the
province of Catania. The Sicilian Region has recently acquired the area and opened it to the public. An exhibition was created to show the materials found there during excavations.
History
There are no certain origins to this ancient town.
Diodorus Siculus
Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ; 1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which su ...
writes that it was founded in 453 BCE by the native Sikel leader
Ducetius. It was named after the sanctuary of the
Palici nearby.
The city was surrounded by strong walls and grew rapidly because of the fertility of its soil. However, it was soon destroyed and the site remained uninhabited at the time Diodorus wrote the ''
Bibliotheca historica
''Bibliotheca historica'' ( grc, Βιβλιοθήκη Ἱστορική, ) is a work of universal history by Diodorus Siculus. It consisted of forty books, which were divided into three sections. The first six books are geographical in theme, ...
'',
which he finished in approximately 60 BCE.
Palike's destruction most likely happened in 440 BCE, when the city of Trinakie was destroyed by
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, Miss ...
according to Diodorus Siculus. Ducetius had died of an illness earlier in the same year.
Peter Green and several other historians argue that Trinakie was most likely the same city as Palike. The table of contents of the ''Bibliotheca historica'' refers to the Syracusan campaign as being conducted "against the
Picenians", which makes no sense. If the spelling of the Ancient Greek text is slightly altered, this would read "against the men of Palici". Trinakie is an ancient indigenous name for Sicily, which would have been a suitable name for the nationalistic ambitions 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, bu ...
. The city might have been renamed to Trinakie or it could have been the name of its
acropolis
An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...
.
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
Official websiteInformation about the site given by the Region of Sicily
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20160305200923/http://siciliafotografica.it/gallery/main.php?g2_itemid=13760 Photos of the site
{{Archaeological sites in Sicily
Ancient Sicily
Archaeological sites in Sicily
Former populated places in Italy