Archaeological Area of Monte Jato
On the top of Monte Jato are the remains of the ancient citadel of Iaitas .
The first nucleus of the citadel of Iaitas dates back to the beginning of the first millennium, probably due to of the indigenous people of the Elimi. It was later Hellenized during the sixth century, when it was attacked by the armies of Pyrrhus and the Ietini, once the Carthaginians had been driven out, surrendered to the Romans. It was civitas decumana and one of the 50 most important urban centers in Sicily. The city is then marked by many: it was a victim of the invasion of the Vandals, then passed under the Byzantine rule, and finally, succubus of the Islamic conquest, it became the center of the Muslim revolts against the Swabian dynasty and was definitively destroyed by Frederick II in the 13th century. .
In the area of the archaeological park of Monte Jato it is possible to see the remains dating back to the Greek era, while there are very few traces of the indigenous foundation and also of the Roman period.
The The urban area of Iaitas extended for about 40 hectares and was naturally fortified on three sides by the steep rocky walls of the mountain, on the fourth side there was a fortification wall. From the access road you arrive at the Agora, a large rectangular area bordered on two sides by colonnaded arcades built during the fourth century BC. From these arcades you enter more or less preserved public buildings: an Italic temple on a podium dedicated to Jupiter; a Punic sanctuary with a small temple of the classical age; the ancient bouleuterion, that is the council chamber; and the more recent bouleuterion with a square plan. Starting from the imperial age, the agora lost its role and private homes were established in its place. The remains of the theater built in the 4th century are also visible. B.C. modeled on the theater of Dionysus in Athens. The auditorium, cut on a natural slope, was made up of 35 steps and could hold up to 5000 spectators. The well-preserved scenic building was decorated with four large stone statues, two maenads and two satyrs, connected to the cult of Dionysus and now preserved in the Antiquarium of San Cipirello.
The oldest public building in the city is temple dedicated to Aphrodite , as evidenced by some inscriptions on libation vessels. It was built in the mid-sixth century. to. C. on the remains of indigenous huts. It was renovated in the fourth century. to. C. with the addition of a transverse wall.
The fortification system, renovated and used until the Middle Ages, probably dates back to the period of the new urban plan of the city, about 300 BC, but according to some hypotheses, it could , at least partially, date back to an earlier period.
