Regional Archaeological Museum of Centuripe contains the largest collection of Roman finds in central Sicily and important and rare statues of the emperors Hadrian and Octavianus Augustus.
The museum opened in 2000, combining major municipal collections formed in the early decades of the last century and artifacts from regular excavations carried out since the fifties thanks to the collaboration between the Superintendence of Syracuse and the Institute of Archeology of the University of Catania.
The building is organized into two levels: the museum’s entrance hall presents the history and topography of the town; the ground floor documents residential sites, economic activities, findings that include important sculptures from Roman times. It also presents local terracotta from the Hellenistic period with masks and statues that show a high technical level and original types of forms and subjects, which form the basis of production that has spread throughout the most demanding markets. Finds from prehistoric times are displayed on the first floor: funeral kits, their composition and ritual reconstruction give a cross section of society, ways of life and beliefs.
References:The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.