The Valley of the Temples (Valle dei Templi) in Agrigentum (ancient Akragas) is a vast sacred complex built between the 6th and 5th centuries BCE, showcasing the city's religious and architectural grandeur. Constructed during Akragas' peak, the temples were dedicated to Olympian Zeus, Hera, Heracles, Hephaestus, Demeter, and Concordia, reflecting the deep devotion of the Greek settlers. The Temple of Olympian Zeus, designed to commemorate the Greek victory over Carthage at Himera (480 BCE), was among the largest Doric temples of the ancient world, though it remained unfinished. The Temple of Concordia, remarkably well-preserved due to its later conversion into a Christian church, remains one of the finest examples of Greek temple architecture.

In 406 BCE, the Carthaginians under Himilco captured and sacked Akragas, leaving much of the sanctuary in ruins. Despite brief recoveries under Timoleon (4th century BCE) and later the Romans (from 210 BCE), the temples gradually fell into disrepair, with many repurposed for construction materials. However, their foundations and structures endured, and today, the Valley of the Temples remains one of the most significant archaeological sites of the ancient Greek world, preserving the artistic and spiritual legacy of Akragas' golden age.

circa 550 BCE

Temple of Hephaestus / Vulcan
On the opposite side of the valley lies the last spur of the hill, dominated by the remains of the Temple of Hephaestus (also called the Temple of Vulcan). However, the precise deity to whom it was dedicated remains uncertain. The temple is a Doric peripteral structure, measuring 43 × 20.85 meters (141.1 × 68.4 feet), and is built upon a four-step crepidoma. Its colonnade consists of 6 × 13 columns, a standard arrangement in Classical Greek temple design. The temple, constructed around 430 BCE, was built over an earlier archaic sacellum, which measured 13.25 × 6.50 meters (43.5 × 21.3 feet). The decorative elements of this earlier structure, dating to circa 560–550 BCE, have been recently reconstructed, offering new insights into its original appearance.

circa 520 BCE

Temple of Heracles
The traditional name of this temple derives from a reference by Cicero, who mentioned a sanctuary dedicated to a classical hero “not far from the forum”. However, the precise location of the Greek agora remains uncertain, and no definitive evidence confirms that it was situated at this site.

The temple, measuring 67 × 25.34 meters, is a Doric peripteral structure with a 6 × 15 column arrangement. It stands on a three-step basement and features a cella with a pronaos and an opisthodomos. A distinctive architectural innovation first seen in Agrigento’s temples appears here: pylons positioned between the pronaos and the cella, which housed a staircase providing access to the roof for maintenance. The columns are notably tall, with broad capitals, giving the structure an imposing appearance.

On the eastern side, remnants of a large altar indicate its religious significance. The temple underwent 20th-century anastylosis, restoring parts of its original form. Polyaenus references a temple of Athena built under Theron outside the city, which some scholars suggest could correspond to this temple, while others propose it refers to a different sanctuary in the inner acropolis.

circa 480 BCE

Temple of Asclepius
The Temple of Asclepius stands in the San Gregorio plain, traditionally identified based on Polybius' account (I, 18, 2), which describes a sanctuary located “in front of the city,” approximately one mile away. However, due to discrepancies in the actual distance and the relatively modest size of the structure, scholars continue to question this attribution.

Measuring 21.7 × 10.7 meters, the temple is built on a three-step basement and follows a Doric design. A notable feature is its false opisthodomos, distinguished by two semi-columns attached to the exterior of the rear cella wall. Surviving architectural elements include sections of the entablature, decorated with lion-headed water spouts, a frieze, and a geison pediment.

The sanctuary was once home to a bronze statue of Apollo, sculpted by Myron and gifted to Akragas by Scipio Africanus. This renowned artwork was later looted by Gaius Verres, the Roman governor infamous for his plundering of Sicilian treasures.

circa 473 BCE

Tomb of Therone of Acragas
The Tomb of Theron in Agrigento, also known as the Tomb of Theron of Acragas, is a funerary monument traditionally associated with Theron, the tyrant of Acragas (488–472 BCE). However, its actual function and dedication remain uncertain. The structure is Hellenistic or early Roman, likely dating to the late 3rd or early 2nd century BCE, much later than Theron's rule, making the attribution questionable. Architecturally, the tomb is a tower-like monument built from local limestone, featuring a square base and a pyramidal upper section, resembling North African Punic funerary structures. This suggests Carthaginian or Roman influences, possibly serving as a commemorative or cenotaph rather than an actual burial site. Positioned along the ancient Via Panoramica, the tomb would have been a prominent landmark for travelers entering Agrigentum.

circa 450 BCE

Temple of the Dioscuri
This temple stands at the easternmost end of the ridge, constructed on a massive artificial terrace. Dating to circa 450 BCE, it follows the Doric peripteral style, measuring 38.15 × 16.9 meters, with a colonnade of six by thirteen columns, preceded by a pronaos and opisthodomos. The base consists of four steps.

The surviving remains, partially reconstructed through anastylosis since the 18th century, include the front colonnade, with sections of the architrave and frieze still in place. The other three sides exist only in fragmentary form, with minimal traces of the cella. The structure suffered significant damage in 406 BCE during the Carthaginian sack of Akragas, after which it was restored in Roman times. During this period, clay tiles replaced the original marble roofing, and modifications were made to the altar area, including the addition of a stepped platform.

Nearby, Byzantine arcosolia and burials from the late 6th century CE are evidence of the temple’s later use as part of a Christian necropolis, coinciding with the conversion of the Temple of Concordia into a church.

circa 450 BCE

Temple of Hera (Temple D)
The so-called Temple of Hera, also referred to as Temple D, is a Doric peripteral temple in the Valle dei Templi, Agrigento, dating to circa 450 BCE. Built on an artificial terrace, it follows a hexastyle (6 × 13) column arrangement, similar to the neighboring Temple of Concordia, with a floor plan measuring 38 × 16.9 meters. The temple suffered fire damage during the Carthaginian sack of Akragas in 406 BCE and was later restored under Roman rule, replacing its original terracotta roof with a marble one. The remains of an altar stand in front of the eastern face, suggesting its continued religious use.

Significant portions of the northern colonnade, architrave, and frieze survive, while the other sides are partially ruined, with some columns missing or damaged. The cella lacked internal columns and featured twin ranks of columns (distyle) at both the pronaos and opisthodomos, with built-in staircases likely for roof access. Eighteenth-century anastylosis efforts have reconstructed much of the structure, preserving its distinct architectural features, including its four-step crepidoma and column entasis.

circa 440-430 BCE

Temple of Concordia
The Temple of Concordia is one of the best-preserved Greek temples still standing today, a testament to the architectural mastery of Classical Akragas (circa 440–430 BCE). Its six-column façade is so iconic that it inspired the UNESCO symbol. The temple features a peristasis of 6 × 13 columns, set upon a stylobate measuring 39.44 × 16.91 meters. Each Doric column has twenty flutes and a subtle entasis, supporting an architrave adorned with triglyphs and metopes. The tympana remain intact, and the cella, preceded by a pronaos, was accessed by a single step. The original structure also included pylons with staircases leading to the roof, as well as beam holes in the peristasis entablature, indicating a wooden ceiling. Both the exterior and interior were originally coated in polychrome stucco, with the roof covered in marble tiles and lion-head gutters for water drainage.

In 597 CE, the temple was repurposed into a Christian church, significantly altering its layout. The entrance was moved to the rear, and the back wall of the cella was demolished. The spaces between the columns were filled in, and twelve arched openings were cut into the cella walls to create a central nave with two aisles. The pagan altar was dismantled, while sacristies were carved into the eastern corners. The High Middle Ages saw burials both inside and outside the temple, remnants of which remain visible today.

circa 470 BCE

Temple of Olympian Zeus
The Temple of Zeus at Agrigentum (modern Agrigento) was one of the largest Doric temples of the ancient Greek world. Built in the 5th century BCE, after the Greek victory over Carthage at the Battle of Himera (480 BCE), it was intended to commemorate the city's triumph. The temple was never fully completed and suffered destruction, likely due to Carthaginian attacks and later material reuse in medieval and modern periods. Measuring 112.7 x 56.3 meters, it was an enormous pseudoperipteral structure, featuring engaged columns instead of a traditional peristyle. A unique feature was the presence of gigantic Telamons (inspect), also called Atlas, a stone-carved male figure over 7 meters tall—which supported the entablature. Today, the site remains in ruins, with collapsed columns and fragments of the Telamons, one of which is reconstructed in the Archaeological Museum of Agrigento.

circa 470 BCE

Altar of Zeus
The Altar of Zeus at Agrigentum was a massive structure situated in front of the Temple of Olympian Zeus, serving as the primary site for large-scale sacrifices and religious ceremonies. Built in the 5th century BCE, it was an integral part of the sanctuary dedicated to Zeus, reflecting the wealth and power of ancient Akragas. Measuring approximately 54 x 17 meters, the altar was designed to accommodate the mass sacrifices characteristic of Greek state religion. Ancient sources suggest that it could hold the simultaneous sacrifice of hundreds of oxen, reinforcing its role in major public and civic rituals. Today, only the foundations and remnants of the altar survive, offering a glimpse into the grand scale of religious practice in one of the most significant Greek cities of Magna Graecia.