---
title: Timoleon Walls, Gela
author: Alessandro451
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/7797/timoleon-walls-gela/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
updated: 1970-01-01
---
# Timoleon Walls, Gela
_Authored by Alessandro451_
## Image File
[](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/7797.jpg)
## Image Caption
The walls are the most important monument that has come to us from [Hellenistic](https://www.worldhistory.org/Hellenic_World/) [Gela](https://www.worldhistory.org/Gela/), preserved in a truly extraordinary way thanks to the sudden cover-up of the area. They are located at the western end of the modern [city](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/), in the locality of "Caposoprano", from which they take their name, inside a specifically created archaeological park. They were built towards the end of the 4th century BCE, in double technique: the lower part with isodomic (composed of stones of size, beautifully shaped on all sides, arranged in horizontal rows at a regular and homogenous height) block stones, a very rare material in the area, and mudbricks in the upper one. The importance of these walls, found in 1948 CE, lies in their degree of conservation, especially the mudbricks, which due to their nature are difficult to preserve. The part that today can be admired reaches in some points the height of 13 metres. In the first section we can see the signs of medieval depletions, when most of the ruins were reused for the construction of the new Federician city of Terranova and the subsequent enlargements of the 16th and 17th centuries. The fortification still has its full military image, with what remains of watchtowers, elevated walkways and stairways to reach them. The erection in mudbricks was presumably imposed by the urgent need to withstand a siege.
## Cite This Work
### APA
Alessandro451. (2017, December 20). Timoleon Walls, Gela. *World History Encyclopedia*.
### Chicago
Alessandro451. "Timoleon Walls, Gela." *World History Encyclopedia*, December 20, 2017. .
### MLA
Alessandro451. "Timoleon Walls, Gela." *World History Encyclopedia*, 20 Dec 2017, .
## License & Copyright
[Original image](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mura_Timoleontee_Gela.JPG) by [**Alessandro451**](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mura_Timoleontee_Gela.JPG). Submitted by [Mark Cartwright](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/markzcartwright/ "User Page: Mark Cartwright"), published on 20 December 2017. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon a work even for commercial reasons, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.