From the Greek to the Roman domination
The first sign of organized life dates back to 7th-8th millennium BC.
The earliest inhabitants of Sicily were the Sicani, Elimi and Siculi (their origin is unknown).
The Phoenician also left signs of their presence on the island; they probably had only trading activities that, especially after the arrival of the Greeks, they practiced only in the western regions.
The Greeks, on the other hand, attracted by the beauties of the island, started colonizing in 735 BC on the east cost of the island with an interest in establishing agriculture and trading centers in Naxos (735 BC), Syracusai (734 BC), Leontinoi and Katane (729 BC), Megara Iblaea (728 BC), Zancle and Selinunte (628 BC), Mylai and Gela (689 BC), Akragas (581 BC) and Lipara (576 BC). Siracusa (Syracusai) became the most important Greek colony.
Some of these towns were new while others were villages that got reorganized based on the Greek style: in each town there was a central square (Agorà) with theaters and space for public functions; the roads were organized in an orthogonal network of main roads and secondary roads, which had standard-sized city blocks.
In the 5th century BC all the Greek colonies joined together to oppose the new invaders, the Carthaginians; the colonies won (in reality the island saw the presence of the Carthaginians until the arrival of Romans). From there on it was a period of growth in the most important colonies of Siracusa and Agrigento.
The 3rd century is a historically a decisive moment when the Romans conquered the Greek colonies. From that moment Sicily followed the growth of Rome’s power and became its province, which was important for the politics and the economy of the Roman Republic and Empire. Sicily was divided in two provinces and its cities classified in four categories: “libere” (free), “foedertae” (those who had been allied of Rome), “decumanae” (those who were adversaries of Rome) and “censoriae” (everything was confiscated and given to Roman citizens).
The cultural life of Sicily didn’t get a lot of contributions from the Roman culture and the development of the cities didn’t adopt the basic pattern of Roman settlement.
In the early empire there was an agricultural rebirth, and small villages with agrarian economies were formed (e.g. Piana of Gela). The Romans worked on primary routes of communications and territorial infrastructures (aqueducts, canals, ports, fortification).
In the late empire the policy of “latifundium” took place; the lands were delegated to produce wheat and other foodstuffs to feed the empire, to the point that the island won the nickname of “breadbasket of Rome”. At the center of each “latifundium” sumptuous villas (ex. Villa of Piazza Armerina) were built to host the person in charge of the administration of that huge land.
The economic role of Sicily became so important that Diocletian made it a direct dependency of Rome (“regio suburbicaria”).