History of the Ancient City of Megara Hyblaea, Sicily

The ancient city of Megara Hyblaea is situated in south-east Sicily near Syracuse. It is popular with visitors hoping to learn a little of the ancient Greeks and their customs, and a history of the city is useful to help you make the most of your visit.

Megara Hyblaea was founded in the second half of the eighth century BC (according to tradition in 728 BC) by Dorian settlers, in an area where some existing Sicilian populations had already built their settlement called Hybla. Note: historically there were several places in Sicily that were called Hybla (eg Hybla Gereatide, Hybla Erea and Hybla Mègara) and it is not always clear which 'Hybla' the records are referring to.

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According to tradition, the founder of Megara, around the Gulf of Augusta, was King Hyblon, who welcomed the Megarians to his territory (although other sources suggest he had little choice...), who then founded Megara. It is said that the first inhabitants, known as Galeoti (who were believers of Apollo) were very adept at predicting the future, interpreting dreams and performing acts of magic and also that they were very superstitious.

The city developed with considerable attention to details and planning, with individual lots being entrusted to citizens for private homes each of the same size, while the Agorà was a free site set aside as a place of public assemblies (a model followed by the bastide town of south-west France 1600 years later).

The first development of Megara Hyblaea was so successful that the newcomers, a century later (628 BC), founded another very important city at Selinunte, another Greek outpost in south-western Sicily. The city based its business on the production of ceramics and on sea trade.

The Megara Hyblaea site has been identified in the plain of San Cusumano between Augusta and Melilli, and has provided many important archaeological remains (eg some traces of an ancient fortified village of the Neolithic period, foundations of three temples and ruins of a large building, city-walls and two necropolis).

From these it is clear that the city had a period of great splendour in the sixth century BC.

Over the centuries Megara Hyblaea had several difficult moments; and, in fact, was destroyed (about 482 BC) by Hiero (?-466), the tyrant of Syracuse. Reconstruction took place under Timoleon in the 4th century BC. The city was again destroyed by the Roman consul Marcellus in 213 BC who was besieging Syracuse at the time. According to tradition (but disputed by some scholars) Emperor Augustus (63 B.C.-14 A.D.) then rebuilt Megara and gave it the name of Augusta. This new city, however, did not arise exactly on the site of Megara Hyblaea, but rather it was built nearby where today we find the centre of Augusta and its imposing castle.

History of the Ancient City of Megara Hyblaea, Sicily

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