Syracuse, Sicily — Acts 28:12

Syracuse was a Greek and Roman city on the southern portion of the east coast of Sicily. Paul spent three days here when the ship that carried him from Malta to Puteoli docked here. (Acts 28:12).

Acts 28:11    After three months [on Malta] we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island. It was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. 12 We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. 13 From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli.

This probably happened in the spring of A.D. 60.  All of the structures shown below were over 100 years old by the time that the Apostle Paul passed through Syracuse—as a prisoner—on his way to Rome.

The Theater of Syracuse originally built in the fifth century BC. The blue in the distance is part of the harbor of ancient Syracuse—where Paul’s ship probably landed.

Syracuse was founded in 734 B.C. and reached its zenith in the sixth and fifth centuries B.C. The Athenians laid siege to it (415–413 B.C.) but were seriously defeated and this defeat helped lead to the decline of the Golden Age of Athens. Syracuse, along with the whole of Sicily, was fought over by the Romans and the Carthaginians.

View of the huge altar that was constructed by Hieron II, ruler of Syracuse, in the third century B.C. It is the largest known altar from antiquity.

In 212 B.C. Rome conquered the city. It carried off many Greek captives and many pieces of Greek artwork to Rome. This influx led to the Romans turning their cultural “tastes” towards things Greek. Unfortunately, the great mathematician and inventor, Archimedes, was killed by a Roman soldier, in spite of the order that he was to be spared.

View of the Amphitheater of Syracuse. It was constructed in the late first century BC—and was about 100 years old when Paul passed through Syracuse.

Archaeological remains of the Roman city include an altar, theater, an amphitheater, etc.

Additional images can be viewed Here.

Would YOU like to follow Paul from Shipwreck on Malta to Martyrdom in Rome?  We are doing just that in June, 2019!  Check out the link above or see Here.