The Temple of Zeus at Akragas

FAIN: FA-11100-75

Malcolm Bell III
University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA 22903-4833)

To conduct a study of the Temple of Zeus in the Greek Sicilian city of Akragas (Agrigento). The basis of the study is the need for a new reconstruction of this Doric temple, based on the ruins at Agrigento. The new reconstruction permits a clearer view of the temple’s sculptural program and of its importance in the history of western Greek architecture. The sculpture will be examined as a unified mythological program. The forces which bore on the local architectural tradition: the rituals, beliefs, and cult practices that distinguish western religions practice from that on the Greek mainland will also be considered.