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CASTROGIOVANNI (Arab. Kasr-Yani, a corruption of Castrum Ennae) , a See also: town and episcopal see of the province of See also: Caltanisetta, See also: Sicily, 95 M. by See also: rail S.E. of Palermo, and 56 m
.
W. of See also: Catania, situated 2605 ft. above See also: sea-level, almost in the centre of the See also: island, and commanding a magnificent view of the interior
.
Pop
.
(1901) 25,826
.
Enna was one of the cities of the Sicels, and the statement of Stephanus Byzantinus that it was colonized by Syracuse in 664 B.C. is improbable
.
The question is discussed by E
.
Pais, Atakta (See also: Pisa, 1891), 63
.
It does not appear in See also: history before the See also: time of See also: Dionysius I. of Syracuse, who, after unsuccessful attempts, finally acquired possession of it by treachery about 397 B.C
.
Its natural position rendered it a fortress of See also: great importance, and it is frequently mentioned in subsequent history
.
In 134-132 it was the headquarters of the slave.revolt, and was only reduced by treachery
.
See also: Cicero speaks of it as a place of some importance, but in imperial times it seems to have been of little account
.
In A.D
.
837 the See also: Saracens attempted to take it, but without success; and it was again only by treachery that they were able to take it in 859
.
In 1087 it See also: fell into the hands of the See also: Normans; and the existing remains of fortifications are entirely See also: medieval
.
There are indeed no remains of earlier days
.
The See also: cathedral, founded in 1307, is of some See also: interest
.
There are no remains of the famous See also: temple of See also: Demeter, from which See also: Verres, as Cicero tells us, re-moved the See also: bronze statue of the goddess
.
The lake of Pergus, where Persephone, according to one of the myths, was carried off by Hades, lies 4 M. to the See also: south
.
The myth itself must have had some See also: local origin, but has had so much See also: Greek detail grafted
upon it that the very names of the earlier Sicel deities have been displaced
.
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