Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 13.djvu/842

 SICILY

772

SICILY

5pdif .", V, 7). Since the Mohammedan conquest (636) Christianity, except during the twelfth century, has practically disappeared from Xablils, which, however, remains the headquarters of the Samaritan sect (about 150 members) and of their high priest.

Baedeker-Socin, Handbook for Palestine and Syria (4th English ed., Leipzig, 1906); Coxder, Tent-work in Palestine (London, ISSo), ii, 14-42; Idem, Survey of Western Pal. Memoirs, II (London, 1SS2), 160-8; 203-10; Idem, Palestine (London, 1889), 63-7; Tristram, The Land of Israel (London, 1865), vii, 159-62; GuERiN, Description de la Palestine, Samarie, I (Paris, 1875), 370-423; De Saulcy, Voyage aulour de la Mer Morte, II (Paris, 1S83), 411-26; Idem, Voyage en Terre Sainte, II (Paris, 1865), 244-53; Hoelscher, Remarks on Palestinian Topography: Sichem and its environs in Zeit. des DeiUsch. Palaest. Vereins, XXXIII (1910). nn. 1-3.

Charles L. Souvay.

Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean; it is triangular in shape and was on that account called Trinacria by the ancients; it is separated from the mainland by the Strait of ]\Iessina, rather less than two miles wide. Its area, including the adjacent islands, is 9935 square miles. The northern chain of moun- tains, running from Cape Peloro (Messina) to Lilibeo (Marsala), is only a continuation of the Calabrian Appenines. The most elevated peaks are the Pizzo dell' Antenna (6478 feet), near the middle of the range, and Monte S. Salvatore (6265 feeji; the re- mainder of the island is an undulating inclined plain sloping to the Ionian and Mediterranean Seas. Near the middle of the eastern side rises the majestic volcano Etna, still active, 10,865 feet high, formed by successive eruptions and having a circumference of 87 miles at its base; it is covered with perpetual snow; on its slopes there are rich pastures, vineyards, gar- dens, arable lands, and forests; and vegetation flour- ishes up to an altitude of about 8200 feet. The chief SiciUan rivers are the Giarretta faUing into the sea near Catania; the Anopo, flowing for a short distance underground and emptying into the sea near Syracuse; the Salso; the Platani. The two principal lakes are those of Lentini and Pergusa; on the southern coast there are verj' many lagoons and unhealthy marshes. Among the adjacent islands are the Lipari group (iEohan Islands) and Ustica in the Tyrrhenian sea; the Egadi (P'avignana, Marittimo, Levanzo) and the Formiche (Ants) near the western extremity; Pan- telleria (the ancient Corcyra) between Malta and Tunisia. The northern and eastern coasts are gen- erally steep, and the adjacent waters deep; the south- ern is shallow and has many sandbanks (Pesci, Por- celli. State, Madrepore). Considering the size of the Island, it has many good harbours: Messina is the most important for commerce; Empedocle, the sul- phur-exporting centre; Palermo, for oranges and lemons; Trapani, wines. Besides these there are Syracuse, Augusta, Catania, Milazzo, Licata, and Lipari. The climate is temperate, the mean summer maximum being 93.2° Fahrenheit; but Sicily suff'ers considerably from the sirocco.

The wealth of the country ia chiefly dependent on agriculture, maritime trade, and mining, especially sulphur. Though in antiquity Sicily was the granary of Rome, the production of grain (22,275,000 bushels) is not sufficient fr)r the home consumption, a fact to be explained either by the increase of population, or by the system of large estates, or by the primitive meth- ods employed. The vintage amounts to about 6,325,- 000 bushels. There is a large export of fruits, includ- ing oranges and lemons, and of carob b(!ans. Sicily produces thr(e-quarters of thf; world's sulphur: in 1905 it amouted to 3,(M9,864 tons, of which 1,629,- 344 came from Caltanisctta, and 1,039,(K)5 from Cir- genti. Among the other mineral pnxlucts are: anti- mony and iignitf; from Messina (61 and 70 tons); asphalt from Syracuse (105,217 tons); rock-salt (12,- 730 tons). Fishing, especially tunny-fishing, is very profitable; but the sponge trade is decreasing (1980 tons in 1899, but only 172 in 1909).

At the census of 1901 the population was 3,568,124, or 350 persons to the square mile; allowing for a mean increase of 1.3 per cent., the island probably contains 4,200,000 inhabitants at present (1911). The percentages of ilhterates are 70.9, under 21 years of age, and 73.2, over 21 years, so that Sicily is more backward than Sardinia, Abruzzo, and the Apulias. However, this is not due to a great lack of schools, as there are 4156 elementary pubhc, 563 private, and 310 evening schools; 4 training colleges for teachers; 44 royal gymnasia (2 pareggiali, 27 non pareggiati) ; 14 royal lyceums (2 pareggiati, 8 non pareggiati) ; 34 tech- nical schools besides 6 non pareggiati; 7 technical in- stitutes; 3 universities (Palermo, Messina, Catania); and 1 conservatory of music (Palermo). Sicily is di- vided civilly into 7 provinces, with 24 circondarii, 179 mandamienti, and 357 communes. It has 5 arch- bishoprics and 12 bishoprics: Catania, without any suffragans; Monreale, with Caltamisetta and Gir- genti; Palermo, with Cefalij, Mazzara, and Trapani; Syracuse, with Caltagirone, Notto, Piazza Armerina. The Bishop of Acireale and the Prelate of S. Lucia del Mela are immediately subject to the Holy See. The parishes in Sicily are few in number and consequently very large. WhUe in the Marches and ITmbria the average number of persons in a j)arish is 600, in the Sicilian dioceses it is 7000 (9000 in Syracuse and 8000 in Palermo).

History. — According to the ancient writers, the first inhabitants of Sicily were the Sicani ; later there came from the Itahan peninsula the SicuU, who, how- ever, do not seem to have been of the same race or to have had any national unity. The island was greatly frequented by Phoenician merchants, as it lay in their way towards Africa and Spain, and was besides a cen- tre of their trade. The presence of these traders is at- tested by Phoenician inscriptions and coins as well as by articles of Phoenician trade. The names, too, of the chief towns on the coast are of Phoenician origin. With their trade they introduced the worshij) of Mcl- kart (Heracles) and Astarte, especially at Mount Eryx (Monte S. Giuhano). While the Pha?nicians who came to the main island continued as foreigners, the smaller adjacent islands — Lipari, Egadi, Malta, Cosura— became thoroughly Phoenician in popula- tion. The Greeks had established themselves at some of the ports as early as the time of the Trojan War. Greek colonization really began in 735 b. c, when the Athenian Theocles was driven thither by a tempest. He induced the Chalcidians of Eubea to settle at Naxos and the Dorians to found a new Me- gara. Ne.xt year the Corinthians expelled the Siculi from the island of Ortygia, thus establishing the cradle of the city of Syracuse. In five years the colonies of Leontini, Catana, Thapsos, Megara, and Hyblona all sprang up on the east coast of tlu^ island, and then the immigration into Sicily seems In liave ceased for forty years. In 690 b. c. the Hhodiaiis and Cretans founded Gela, on the river of that name (now the Terranuova), and from Gela Acragas (Girgenti) was found(^d in 582, both on the south-west coast. At the point nearest to the peninsula the Cumani pirates had founded Zancle in the (>ighth century, and that settlement had received the name of Messana in 729 from Anaxilas, the tyrant of Reggio. Himera, on the north coast, was a colony of Zancle (648). The Syracusans founded Acraj (664), Casmena^ (644), Ca-. marina (.599). Selinus arose in 629, Lipara in 580. This active Greek colonization drove the Plia-nicians more and more towards the west of the island; Moty(! Solveis (Saluiito) and Panormus (Palermo) remained the principal (u-ntres of their commerce. The Car- thaginians then felt the necessity of obtaining jjolitical power over the island, if the Ph(rnician an<l Punic trade was not to be destroyed by the Greeks. They rejoiced at the disunion among th(! Greeks, who — par- ticularly the Dorians and lonians — had brought to the