Eryx (city)

Eryx was an ancient Elymian city in western Sicily, known in Greek and Roman sources as Eryx (Ἔρυξ). The settlement occupied the northern sector of the summit plateau of Monte Erice, distinct from the sanctuary of the Temple of Venus Erycina, and forms part of the site of the modern town of Erice. As one of the principal centres of the Elymians, Eryx was never a Greek colony but came under strong Greek cultural influence from at least the 6th century BC, before passing to Carthaginian and later Roman control in the 3rd century BC. Its commanding position made it strategically important, particularly during the First Punic War. By the medieval period, the site of the ancient city had become part of the town’s giudecca (Jewish quarter), as the main urban centre expanded southward. Following the expulsion of the Jewish population from Sicily in the late 15th century, the district declined and has remained sparsely inhabited into modern times.