In Agrigento's Valley of Temples; Sicily; Italy on October; 2013 View of the atlas reassembled on the ground among the ruins of the Temple of Zeus (Jupiter) In between the columns of the temple were colossal atlases; stone figures standing some 7.5 m high. The Greek world left on the hill of the temples one of the most imposing architectural ensembles of antiquity.To the south of the acropolis of Akragas; today the town of Agrigento; a terrace called the Valley of the Temples was at the time reserved for the gods. Ten doric temples rose up there; built between the 6 and 5 centuries BC. Along a long rocky scarp; chosen as the southern limit of the town; are still sited the great temples of ancient Akragas: the Temple of Hera (Juno) Lacinia; Concordia; Heracles (Hercules); Olympian Zeus (Jupiter); Castor and Pollux (Dioscuri) and Hephaistos (Vulcan). Further down; on the bank of the Akragas river; near a medical spring; stood the Temple dedicated to Asklepius (Eusculapius); the god of medicine.Their remains make up one of the most beautiful Hellenic architectural ensembles outside Greece. The park of the Valley of the Temples extends over 1300 hectares. It encloses an extraordinary monumental and landscape patrimony . Declared a 'world cultural heritage of humanity' by UNESCO; it is one of the most important archaeological sites of the Mediterranean. PHOTO by Eric Vandeville/akg-images