The founder-cult of hieron ii at Akrai: The rock-relief from Intagliatella’s latomy

Abstract

In Akrai, a Syracusan archaic sub-colony, there is a rockrelief in Intagliatella’s urban latomy. In this paper, after a trip around the history of studies related to the monument, we propose a new interpretation on the ground of signs, drawn near its position to the town’s entrance, following relevant historical considerations about the figure of Hieron II (306–215 B.C.), the most important king of Hellenistic Syracuse, as well as a friend and protector of Archimedes (287–212 B.C.) who lived and worked in his court.