Elymian-Punic Walls of Erice
The Elymian–Punic Walls of Erice are the surviving city walls of ancient Eryx. The walls run along the side of the hill facing Trapani and Bonagia, where they block the easiest path up the hill—a narrow gap between two rocky ridges.
The best-preserved line extends for about. From south to north it includes three principal gates—Porta Trapani, Porta Carmine, and Porta Spada—and excavations have identified the remains of a fourth gate oriented towards Castellammare del Golfo.
Description
Along the western side, the circuit is punctuated by at least 18 towers. The northernmost 11 towers preserve ancient masonry and are larger; the towers further south are smaller and date to the medieval rebuilding.On the eastern side, square towers stand at roughly intervals in front of a curtain wall about thick. This eastern stretch largely reflects a 14th-century reconstruction.
History and construction
Archaeological excavations identify two ancient building phases, later reworked in the Middle Ages.- First phase : walls with a megalithic base of very large, roughly hewn blocks set on foundations of small, irregular stones. Sealed layers by Tower 8 contained black-glaze pottery dated to about 490–480 BC, placing this earliest circuit at the beginning of the 5th century BC.
- Second phase : rebuilding in opus quadratum using regular rectangular blocks. Finds from Tower 10 date this work to the early 3rd century BC. Punic mason’s marks on blocks are usually linked to this phase.
- Medieval works : narrowing of tower modules, addition and reworking of posterns, and extensive repairs in smaller squared blocks across long stretches of the circuit.