Durrueli

Overview of the villa to the South (© FIRS project)

The Durrueli villa lies in a small sandy bay at the mouth of a river, 9km South-West of Agrigento. It was found by chance in 1907 while working for a new railroad. The following year, A. Salinas directed the first excavation, which led to the discovery of some rooms with mosaics and marble slabs decorating the floors. Between 1979 and 1985, Prof. Masanory Aoyagi further excavated the villa with the support of a Japanese team from the University of Tsukuba. The new investigations uncovered a luxury dwelling with many rooms pivoting around a peristyle. Two bath complexes lie further west. Some roof tiles bear monogram stamps, which allow one to identify the owner as Pulibius Annius, a wealthy citizen from Agrigento. The villa likely dates back to the first half of the 2nd century AD and seems abandoned during the 3rd century AD. However, hints for a prolonged continuity of life seem to exist, as stressed by Prof. Aoyagi and more recently confirmed by a team from the University of South Florida directed by Prof. Davide Tanasi. The villa continues to attract researchers' interest. New investigations carried out by the University of Catania, under the direction of Prof. Daniele Malfitana, team began in 2024.

Stamped roof tiles from 1979 excavations (Polito, Tripodi 2018, p. 24)
Masanori Aoyagi signature on left (© FIRS project)

 

Bibliography

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We are grateful to Parco Valle dei Templi, Museo archeological regionale P. Griffo, and to Prof. Masanori Aoyagi for granting permission to conduct new research on the ceramic finds from the Japanese excavations at Durrueli.