Scolacium Archaeological Park

Catanzaro, Italy

The Archaeological park of Scolacium hosts the ruins of the ancient Greek City of Skilletion that became a Roman colony after the war against Hannibal, and assumed the name of Minervia Scolacium. Little remains of the pre-Roman settlement, while the structure of the Roman colony and rests of paved roads and aqueduct, of the thermal plant, the amphitheater and the theater are still visible. The theater lies on a natural hill slope and could seat about 5000 people. It was built during the 1st century AD, and was equipped with a new scene when the new colony was founded by Nerva.

In the same period, the town became a considerable monumental center with developed built-up areas. The theater was subject to successive renewals till the 4th century AD. Most materials discovered during digging campaigns come from the theater and include remarkable architectural fragments and sculpted groups. Close to the theater, rests of the amphitheater were found, whose construction dates back to Nerva times. The Park also hosts the Basilica of Santa Maria di Roccella, founded between the 11th and 12th centuries following the canons of the Romanic art with Byzantine and Arab influences.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 1st century AD
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Italy

More Information

www.turiscalabria.it

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Nick OKeefe (3 years ago)
One of the best archaeological sites I've been to in Italy
Luigi Bagnato (3 years ago)
Great energy. Location and light at sunset are fantastic
daniel Zongrone (3 years ago)
Wonderful visit
Mike Seigel (4 years ago)
Really interesting site
Marguerite Miller (4 years ago)
Italy is full of ruins and history. This site is no exception other than tranquility found at the off-the-beaten path location among olive trees and within site of the sea. My second visit.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.