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Lilybaeum's District of
Island of Motya
[CityBuilder: Decius Aemilius]
Motya, whose name means "wool-spinning center," was founded in the 8th century BC, about a century after the foundation of Carthage in Tunisia.
The city was situated on a small island (about two kilometers long and wide, and measuring about 45 hectare) located in a lagoon on the most western part of Sicily. It could only be reached by boat, although the inhabitants of Motya constructed a remarkable paved road at the bottom of the lagoon by which chariots with large wheels could reach the town.
Today, it is hard to imagine that it was once a city, because a Greek army, commanded by Dionysius, the tyrant of Syracuse, sacked the city in 398 or 397 BC, an event recorded by Diodorus of Sicily in his Library of World History (14.47.1-53.5).
The Carthaginians reoccupied the site, but also established Lilybaeum approximately four kilometers to the south and from that point the latter city started to grow rapidly, probably because Lilybaeum had a more accessible harbor. Stones and other building materials were transferred from the old to the new town. Motya remained in use for agricultural purposes, however, and some wealthy farmers stayed on the island, living in beautiful mansions.
Motya is an archaeological site currently undergoing excavation. In late 2005 archaeologists announced they had found the remains of an ancient Phoenician temple off Motya, saying it was "unique" in the West. The excavation has also uncovered a number of other unique items, such as a mosaic that is unique in Sicily, because it is made of black and white pebbles. Other Greek-Phoenician artifacts have been discovered and are on display in the museum on the island of S. Pantaleo, such as the famous Giovane di Mozia - the Motya Youth, a rare statue because it depicts a clothed male.
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