Archaeological Area and Antiquarium of Megara Hyblaea
Megara Hyblaea is one of the earliest Greek colonies in Sicily, founded around 728 BC on the deep bay north of Syracuse known as the Xiphonian promontory, near the modern city of Augusta. The archaeological area preserves the ruins of the ancient city — including agora, temples, residential quarters, and city walls — in a remarkably legible urban plan that has been the subject of intensive Franco-Italian archaeological research since the 1950s. The on-site Antiquarium presents key finds from nearly a century of excavation.
At a glance
- Type
- Archaeological area and antiquarium
- Period
- Founded c. 728 BC; city destroyed by Gelon of Syracuse in 483 BC; later Hellenistic reoccupation until Roman period
- Style
- Archaic to Classical Greek colonial urbanism
- Location
- Contrada Megara, 96011 Augusta, Province of Syracuse, Sicily
- Coordinates
- 37.2052° N, 15.1844° E
Overview
Megara Hyblaea — perhaps identical with Hybla Major — was established by Megarian colonists from the Greek mainland who received land from the indigenous Sicel king Hyblon. Situated 20 kilometres north-northwest of Syracuse on the east Sicilian coast, the city occupied a deep bay whose natural harbour made it a significant trading post in archaic times. Although destroyed by Gelon of Syracuse in 483 BC, the site was resettled in the Hellenistic period and has been systematically excavated since the 19th century, yielding one of the most complete plans of an early Greek colonial city known to archaeology.
History
According to Thucydides, Megara Hyblaea was founded around 728 BC by Megarian colonists who had arrived in Sicily but were refused settlement by the Syracusans; the Sicel king Hyblon granted them land on the bay now bearing his name. The city developed a distinctive Archaic culture with its own pottery tradition and a well-organised urban plan whose grid layout — one of the earliest documented in the Greek world — is still traceable in the excavated remains. Gelon of Syracuse razed the city in 483 BC and transferred its population to Syracuse. A Hellenistic resettlement in the 3rd century BC was in turn destroyed by Rome during the First Punic War around 213 BC.
What you see
The excavated area reveals the full grid of an Archaic Greek colonial city: the agora (civic square), foundations of temples including an unusual small Archaic temple with in-antis plan, residential insulae with individual house plots, sections of the city wall, a necropolis, and industrial areas. Ongoing Franco-Italian excavations by the École française de Rome and the Scuola Normale Superiore have progressively uncovered the phased development of the settlement from its foundation through the Hellenistic reoccupation. The Antiquarium on site presents pottery, architectural terracottas, funerary objects, and inscriptions that document the social and economic life of the colony.
Cultural significance
Megara Hyblaea is of exceptional importance for the history of Greek urbanism: it provides one of the earliest documented examples of a planned Greek colonial city, predating by several decades the more celebrated grids of Milesian town-planning in the eastern Mediterranean. Its well-preserved state — partly the result of never being built over by a major modern city — makes it an irreplaceable laboratory for the archaeology of colonisation.
Practical information
The archaeological area is accessible during daylight hours; admission may be free or subject to a fee depending on season and site status. The Antiquarium keeps limited opening hours — check the Polo Regionale di Siracusa website for current schedules before visiting. Guided visits can sometimes be arranged through the site administration.
Getting there
Megara Hyblaea is located approximately 3 km north of Augusta town centre on the coast road. Augusta is served by rail from Syracuse (25 min) and Catania (50 min). By car, take the SS114 north from Syracuse and follow signs for Megara or the zona industriale di Augusta; the archaeological site is signposted from the coastal road near the bay. Note that the site sits within an industrial zone; follow signage carefully.