• Sicily and the Sea highlights the culture of the island through the ages
• The Allard Pierson Museum will be hosting an exhibition entitled Sicily and the Sea: A Dive into the Past, from October 9, 2015 - April 17, 2016

Due to its strategic location and natural resources Sicily has always been a coveted island. Phoenicians and Greeks were the first to settle and their colonies made a lasting contribution to the cultural history of Europe. In the following centuries a sequence of rulers invaded Sicily, from Romans and Byzantines, Moors and various European royal houses up to the invasion of the allies in 1943. All those cultures living together - sometimes in peace, sometimes conflicting - effected each other and left their traces, on the island and in the sea. Sicily and the Sea highlights the culture of the island through the ages. Thanks to modern techniques, more and more archeological treasures are found. Lovers of underwater archeology, ports, temples, sea battles and shipwrecks are generously served. But Sicily and the Sea is about much more: about Homeric monsters, folklore, modern politics, and the many writers and film directors who were inspired by this island itself.