On the trail of past ancient civilizations

The first investigations of the site, carried out in 1956 by the Agrigento Surveyors together with local archaeologist Maria Rosa La Lomia, unearthed the remains of the apse (called Ecclesiastra), probably re-used as a church in the Christian era. The subsequent excavations brought to light the incredible remains of settlements from three differenti settlement eras: a settlement in which it is possible to distinguish at least three building phases, documenting a continuity of life from the first century BC to the eighth century AD, in particular, the remains of a private bathroom (Phase I), the main thermal building flanked by two perpendicular streets (phase II) and a workshop with a Christian necropolis (phase III).

We do not know the original name of the ancient settlement, but we know, however, that at the time of the Arab conquest, the ancient city was renamed, as it seems, with the name "Vito Soldano." According to some scholars, the name is linked to the name of an important Muslim dignitary, while according to others it derives from the name "Beyt Sultan", meaning "House of the Sultan."