Temple of Jupiter

The Temple of Jupiter, or Temple of Zeus, is an important example of the different approaches that have been applied over the years towards Agrigento’s archaeological site. In the words of the custodians one can witness the profound rift between their missions as devout protectors of the “sacred monuments” [Complesso archivistico: Prefettura di Agrigento, Intendenza e atti della Prefettura di Girgenti 1827-1887 b.485 7] and the attitude of those who abused these ruins. The area where the temple stands was, for example, often chosen by herdsmen to graze their cattle. In an account drafted by the Royal Custodian Raffaello Politi we learn about his indignation against a particular herdsman and his herd of “oxen that devastate these venerable Ruins”. This episode drove him to request weapons for the custodians, as these clashes with the “Girgenti shepherds” [Complesso archivistico: Prefettura di Agrigento, Intendenza e atti della Prefettura di Girgenti 1827-1887 b. 484 6_2] were so regular and serious. 
Other documents report that “those sacred ruins admired by the entire world” [Complesso archivistico: Prefettura di Agrigento, Intendenza e atti della Prefettura di Girgenti 1827-1887 b. 484 13_1] had been turned into a lowly inn or, as the custodian Pasquale Rizzo Pinna writes in a letter to the Girgenti supervisor, a residence for a family of goat herders.