AVP 2026

The 2026 season of the Agora Valley Project centered on the question of when the Southwest Temenos acquired its principal architectural features. Our previous excavations had revealed important details about the precinct’s development, but questions remained about when its enclosing wall, buildings, and paved spaces were constructed. To investigate, we opened trenches at several points along the precinct’s boundary walls and on either side of Building A, which we identified in 2025 as a naiskos, or small temple, measuring approximately 6.5 × 8 meters.

Pottery and coins recovered from these trenches point to a date in the second century BCE for the construction of the temenos wall. This finding complements evidence recovered in 2025 that placed the construction of the South Complex in the same century. The 2026 excavations around Building A also yielded pottery indicating that both the brick pavement along the temple’s western side and the paved platform with a ramp-like feature at its eastern end were installed during this period. Together, these discoveries identify the second century BCE as a major period of construction within the Southwest Temenos. They bring the development of this sacred space into sharper focus while revealing continued investment in Morgantina’s urban landscape in the generations following the Roman conquest of Sicily.

Hands-on Training Outside the Trenches

Hands-on training at Morgantina extends well beyond the trenches. As in previous years, our student volunteers this summer had opportunities to shadow staff members on our Ceramics, Conservation, Environmental, Finds, and Geospatial teams, gaining experience with the varied work that surrounds the excavation process. This summer, members of the AVP team learned to identify common animal bones alongside our zooarchaeologist, sorted plant remains and charcoal recovered from soil samples, and helped conserve and document artifacts for inclusion in the project’s databases. These experiences introduce students to a range of archaeological specialties while showing how each contributes to our understanding of life at ancient Morgantina.