Prof. Dr. Monika Trümper (FU Berlin) will give a lecture on 20 November 2025 entitled "Das Gymnasium von Agrigent".
"In Greek culture, gymnasiums were the central place for the athletic and intellectual education of young people. Of the few known examples of such buildings in the western Mediterranean, the gymnasium in Agrigento is the most important and largest. It was partially excavated between 1960 and 2005, and since 2020 a team from the Free University of Berlin has been excavating there. The results of five field research campaigns are presented, including a lecture hall and a large architectural inscription. The complex – as is now apparent – provided space for a wide range of athletic exercises, especially swimming, which is rarely found in archaeological evidence, but was also a place for performances and intellectual activity."