Atlas: A Titan in the Valley of the Temples
Atlas was one of the 38 statues supporting the Temple of Zeus in the Valley of the Temples. In Greek mythology, he was a Titan or god forced to carry the sky on his shoulders after being defeated by Zeus.
Discovery and Reconstruction
The statues were discovered in 1812 by Charles R. Cockerell, a young British architect who visited Agrigento to study the ruins of the ancient city of Akragas, founded around 582 BC. Cockerell identified the parts of the statue of Atlas and later excavations led to the reconstruction of the first version of the statue, preserved in the Archaeological Museum of Agrigento.
Valley of the Temples: UNESCO World Heritage Site
In 2004, the Valley of the Temples Park began a major research campaign under the direction of the German Archaeological Institute in Rome. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site covering an area of 1600 hectares, including the ruins of seven temples, city walls, entrance gates, an agora, a Roman forum, necropolises, and sanctuaries.
