The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-12-20
AN ANCIENT GROW"
Sicily, Which. Was "Picked"
Over by Mary Nations.
OF STRAIEGICAL POINTS
Cities That Stood Off Sieges
for Months.


Palmero, Dec 19.-Though Sicily ma.
within the last fifteen years become one
o. the regular tourist resorts of Europe
where hotels have multiplied, where Eng
iishmen are counted by hundreds and
Germans by thousands it is not yet
largely visited by Americans, for it lies
little off the frequented routes, ano
is naturally omitted by those who have
only three or four months to give to Their
round of western and southern Europe
Some notes upon the more intereStine
points it presents may therefore be OF
interest, not merely to those who do not
know the Mediterranean countries al
all, but even to those who are familiar
with Rome and Venice and the cities OF
Tuscany.
Small as Sicily is, each part of it-one
might almost say every one of its princi-
pal cities-has a special and characters
tic interest. To the student of ancient
classical history, no spot is so attractive
as Syracuse, for no event in ancient his
tory, except the great Purssian war in
the beginning of the fifth century, B. c.,
IL so momentous so dramatic as the
Athenian expedition against Syracuse at
the end OF that same century, which has
been described by Thucydides in a MARIA
tive whose condensed and tragic power
DIS without parallel in historical writ
ing. The student OF Greek art finds his
chief attraction in the city which one
IL more apt to call by its Greek name of
Al<ragas, than by its Roman name Asri-
gentum or its modern name of Girgenti.
The medieval history Of the island con-
centrates itself iii Palermo, where also
are to be seen the finest monuments of its
medieval art. The geologist is. of course.
drawn TO Catania, because it is the best
= point for the study of the volcanic phe-
nomena for which Sicily has long been
famous. since it lies at the very foot of
Aetna and has been over and over again.
devastated by lava streams.
The western corner of the island is the
least visited by travellers. and has no
single place of frst-rate Importance TO
the devotee either Of art or of science.
But to the historical inquirer it has the
profound interest of being the region in
which the contending forces that strove
for Sicily during many generations
fought their longest and hardest fight.
1T was the battle-ground of the Semites
and the Hellenes for three centuries, as it
was afterwards Of Rome and Carthage
during the first and second Punic wars.
And a thousand years later when the
Semites. now Mussulmans were in the
midst of their great advance against the
Romanc-HeIlenic civilization of tho Rom
an Empire, it was upon this part of Sicily
that the first brunt of the Arab invasion
from Africa fell. Few parts of the world
have seen more slaughter by sea as well
as by land than these western coasts of
Sicily, and though we have no records.
or scanty records of most of the battles
and sieges. strong flashes of light fail
now and then upon particular spots
Five of these spots stand out as special
~ significant. one is the lofty hin fort
ress of EryN, now Monte San Giuliano.
above the town of Trapani. Another is
the Greek city of Selinus, on the south
coast, now long since mass of ruins.
near Castelvetrano. \ third IS the Ely
milan city of Egesta-in Roman times Sc
Gesta-near the modern town of Salatafi-
mi. \ fourth is the Phoenician island
mart and fort of Motye; and the fifth is
also Phoenician the fortress of Lily
baeum built by the Carthaginians. 1t is
today the thriving seaport of Marsala,
whose Arab name recalls the fact that
1t was one of the strongholds of the
Arab emirs who held Sicily for two cen
turtles till the Nornans drove them out.
It's wine is famous; it is indeed the chief
emporium of the Sicilian wine trade. OF
these two last | shall not speak. because
they show few traces of their ancient
importance and occupy sites less strik-
-
Eryx stands on the top OF mountain of
Iimetsone 2.6oe feet high. which rises i'm
mediately from the sea in the extreme
northwest of Sicily. II commands a mag
nificent view. which in clear weather In
Cludes not only the isle of Pantellaria,
bat the mountains behind Cape Bon in
the territory of Tunis.- The slopes, ev-
erywhere steep. are in places PERCEPTIONS.
At the end of the hin a detached rock
stands out. whose hat top is some three
or four acres in extent while its sides
are sheer cliffs. and only very narrow
causeway connects 1t with the main Hill
on this rock which was the acropolis or
citadel of the town. stood the famous
shrine of native goddess whom the
Phoenicians identified with their Ashton
eth and the Greeks with their sphrodite
All the peoples of Sicih worsh:nped her
as did the Romans when they came She
IS the CVenus> Erycina lidens of Horace.
Her temple. rich with countless gifts.
was protected as well by It's saactity IS
b. the strength Of its position The city
IS the oldest We know of i'm the island.
1t belonged 10 a people called the Elymi
who said like the Romans in later DAYS.
that they were descended from the Tro-
fans. They were 700 few 10 count for
much IN the strife OF the great powers.
Syracuse, Carthage. and Rome. that con-
tended for Sicily out the natural
strength of their fortress. touching the
ssa AT its haven OF Drsrara beneath. and
commandins the west or the island. made
EryN a point OF immense strategicaI i'm
portance. No city was more Frequently
besiesed. none proved more difficult ,o
capture. In the nrst Punic war. Ham
car Barca. the father OF Hannibal. hela
II for Carthage when she had lost an
else in Sicily except Lilyhaeam. though
even he. while master o. the city was
unable to dislodge small Roman gar
rison from the imprcgnatle AcropoHs L
is associated with MANY fauaous name
Dfonysius the Elder took it, P,rrhos
s,ormed II. 81 did Iloser. the 6rs, Nor
man king Of Sicily: ard the story goes
that. in the heat ~ ;he attack ou the
Arabs. he saw 81. Julian appear to h-sp
him-whencc the town has come 10 hea-
the saints name The last hero or whom
o. has looked down was Ga~.bsldi. WHO
Handed at Marsaia a few miles 20 ,he
south In $50, To teein his Famous 1aarch
OF liberation To-day the city is failing