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Selinunte and its archaeological park
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Archaeological Park in the territory of Castelvetrano, 2 km from the sea, containing the ruins of Selinunte, the Greek colony founded by Megara Hyblaea, in 628 BC according to Thucydides, and in 650 BC according to Diodorus Siculus. The name of the city appears to be derived from a wild plant that grows locally, selinon, a kind of celery, or from the name of the nearby River Selinòs, now known as the Modione. The relationship between the autochthonous populations and the Greek settlers was anything but peaceful. Life at Selinunte, as amply testified in the ancient sources, was a series of conflicts and wars, particularly with its archenemy Segesta. But Selinunte soon became rich and powerful, and in the 6th c. BC it was itself able to found a sub-colony, Heraclea Minoa, to the E, in the direction of Agrigento. This was the period of the establishment of tyranny, of the beginning of good commercial relations with the Carthaginians, and of the creation of the urban structures, with the building of imposing works of architecture, such as the two temples on the acropolis, which the archaeologists, not knowing their original names, have called Temples C and D, while the one on the hill is known as Temple F. The tyranny fell in the 5th c., but the pro - Carthage policy continued. This explains Selinunte's neutrality in the Graeco-Punic conflict, which came to its conclusion in the Battle of Himera in 480 BC. The passion for building that had characterized the tyranny once again began to be felt and Temples were constructed, and the more prestigious areas were appropriately completed. When the Peloponnese War shifted towards Sicily, Selinunte was involved side by side with Syracuse, but was unable to assist its ally because of the opposition of Agrigento and other cities fighting on the side of Athens. After the defeat of the Athenian army in Sicily, Selinunte was convinced that it could at last destroy its eternal rival Segesta, but it was stopped by the Carthaginians who, after a 9- day siege, conquered Selinunte and destroyed it (409 BC). The victors established a military garrison on the site of the ruins, and limited the town to the area of the ancient acropolis. In this area, the Punic city, as shown by numerous archaeological finds, survived until the mid- 3rd c. BC, when the territory passed under Roman domination.
Main monuments and highlights of Selinunte
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The city stretched over a vast area that can be appreciated as soon as we arrive; here, on the E hill, are the three Temples G, F and E. Temple G, located further N (on the right, as we enter the zone), was destined to be one of the most imposing buildings of classical architecture, similar for example to the Tempie of Olympian Zeus, at Agrigento. Begun in 530 BC, it was not yet complete in 409, when Selinunte fell. At the Cave di Cusa, 8 km to the W, it is still possible to see great blocks of stone the same size as the columns of this exceptional temple, which was some 30 m in height. The long period necessary for its construction, about 40 years, led to variations in its Doric style, which is more evolved in the W part. Temple F is the smallest; its ruins tell us that it must have had 6 columns at the ends and 14 on the sides; the cella is preceded by a pronaos and there is an opisthomodos. The third temple, Temple E, dates from 460-450 BC; it is Doric in form, with 6 columns at the ends and 15 on the sides. The cella is preceded by a pronaos in antis, supported by two columns and followed by the adytum, which is raised in comparison to the cella. This temple collapsed during an earthquake and was re-erected in 1960 with a process of anastylosis, i.e. reconstruction with the original pieces, which has given rise to considerable criticism. The stupendous metopes representing mythological themes, now in the Regional Archaeological Museum in Palermo, come from this temple. (Traces of two other temples have been discovered beneath the present one.) Proceeding S, towards the other visible ruins, we encounter the remains of the powerful fortifications that surrounded the city as from the archaic age; other walls date from the first half of the 5th c. The first thing we meet here is the Punic city: a sacred area for sacrifices, and the town with its framework walls; on the floors there is the sign of the goddess Tanit, the caduceus and the god Taurus. The series of temples resumes with the ruins of the Doric Temple O and of Temple A, similar to the former, and both of uncertain date (possibly between 490 and 460 BC). The houses and shops in the area testify to their dual public and private function. There are the ruins of two other religious buildings, the Megàron and Temple B, which has Ionic columns and a Doric frieze. In the centre of this vast zone of the ancient temenos is the grandiose Temple C. This was begun in 560 BC and, having collapsed, it was re-erected, with the usual process of anastylosis. Archaic Doric in style, it had 6 columns at the ends and 17 at the sides; the raised cella is preceded by an adytum with four columns. Three metopes from the front are in the Regional Archaeological Museum in Palermo -they represent the noblest examples of Selinuntine sculpture; also in this museum is part of the geometric and floral clay decoration of the roof, culminating in the magnificent terracotta Gorgon's head that decorated the pediment. A little further N are the ruins of Temple D, similar to Temple C. At the SE limit of the temenos there is a great L-shaped portico bounding the entire area. The NW zone of the acropolis was arranged as a market, with shops, the agora, and surrounding dwellings. Proceeding further N we come to the gate that closed the acropolis; the gate linked up with a series of towers and fortifications, and was the fulcrum of Selinunte's entire defensive system. The Gaggera Hill. Before we get to the Acropolis, if we descend to the valley of the River Modione, we arrive at the Gaggera Hill, near the mouth of the river where one of Selinunte's two ports used to be. Here also is the Malophoros Sanctuary (6th c. BC, dedicated to the goddess Demeter, the bringer of fruits), together with Temple M, which may have stood by a sacred 6th c. BC fountain that was fed by a near- by spring. The stele from the sanctuary can be seen in the Regional Archaeological Museum in Palermo.
Text taken from: "Sicily and its islands" by Ugo La Rosa editore.
Other main destinations in Sicily
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Other main destinations in Sicily are: Palermo - Monreale - Cefalù - Piazza Armerina - Segesta - Erice - Agrigento - Taormina - Caltagirone - Siracusa - Catania - Mount Etna - Aeolian Islands
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Via Pulica s.n.
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