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Selinunte

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Selinunte: a metropolis of antiquity


The archaeological site of Selinunte began in 1825 by two English architects, Harris ed Angeli, I discovered that some of the metopes, which are now at the Regional Archaeological Museum in Palermo. Since then continued almost without interruption and continue even today; given the vastness of the area, much of the city still under the ground.

Acropolis – The hill on which it stands had to be smoothed by the settlers megaresi to allow the construction of the first buildings: of this first phase are a few elements that are safe. In a second time, between the late sixth and early fifth century. C, the hill was enlarged with embankments, for which it was necessary to build the southeast corner you'll notice the current input of the ruins. Doors that had entered the acropolis is the North Gate, at the end of the long north-south road that runs around the center of the Acropolis itself. On it were built several temples, as well as numerous public buildings or in connection with the worship.

Starting from the north, Temple D, built around the middle of the sixth century. C.
A short distance away is the Temple C, the most archaic of the temples of the Acropolis which has certain knowledge: was built in the first half of the sixth century. C; two altars were connected with the temple: one in the south-east and the other to the east; forehead was decorated with sculpted metopes, three of which are preserved in the Regional Archaeological Museum in Palermo; the two pediments were decorated with a Medusa head in painted terracotta large-scale. In 1925-26, fourteen columns on the north side were raised and rebuilt along with the architrave.
Follows the small Temple B, Hellenistic (Fourth century. C), perhaps devoted to Empedocles, the philosopher-scientist Agrigento and Selinunte that would direct the drainage water. Around this temple are the remains of the oldest religious buildings of Selinunte.

At the southern end of the acropolis, two more temples, Ed O, close to one another and many similar to each other: be dated to the early fifth century. C; in the Middle Ages were unified and used as a fortress. An altar was placed in front of the Temple A.

East Hill – Here were three other temples: It, F, G. The latter is one of the greatest of classical: it measures 110,36 for 50,10 meters; the columns of the peristyle are high 16,27 meters and have a diameter of 3,41 meters. The construction was never completed, although it was started long before the other; perhaps stopped at the end of the city. The building material was taken from the Cave di Cusa, site about nine miles from Selinunte, in north-west. To the south is the Temple F, built around the middle of the sixth century. C. It was decorated with metopes, two of which, halved, are preserved in the Regional Archaeological Museum in Palermo. It follows the Temple, whose construction, dating from the end of the first half of the fifth century. C, marks the maximum peak of the Doric style, what is usually called “Doric canonical”: was dedicated to Hera. The frieze of the pronaos was decorated with metopes, five of which are in the Museum of Palermo. At the end of the 50s this temple was reconstructed. These are the temples so far known; Acropolis, but, was certainly another temple, not yet identified, perhaps the first built by the settlers megaresi, they belong to the six archaic metopes dating in the early sixth century. C, preserved in the Museum of Palermo. The identification of the deities which were dedicated to the temples remains a mystery, And except for the Temple, that, to an inscription found on the spot, we have been dedicated to Hera. Ancient City – What was once the city has been inhabited since the foundation was destroyed by the Carthaginians; i went to reside on the acropolis of Selinunte were. Recent and ongoing excavations have revealed part of the walls, of which we had no knowledge, and a door.

Sanctuary of Malophoros-goers of this shrine, possibly dedicated to Malophoros, the goddess carrying the pomegranate, were not all Greek, as can be seen by looking at the buildings that are: also what we consider the main draws a distant echo of its shape in Mycenaean megaron. The second phase of the life of Selinunte, when he lived in the area Punic, Recent excavations have brought to light a sacred building attributable to that period; Punic stelae found at the Regional Archaeological Museum in Palermo were found in this sanctuary. Necropolis – There are numerous cemeteries and Selinuntine, obviously, with numerous tombs: they come thousands of objects, between Greek vases and terracotta statuettes. Their distance from the city – some were found five kilometers away – made me think of some scholars that the farthest belonged to another city, but there are no reference points. Vincenzo Tusa

The emphasis and wonder that give rise to the ruins of Selinunte are well known.
Superlatives, metaphors, passionate tones that characterize the impressions of the great travelers of Selinunte may be contained in a book of the hyperbola. Scrisse Algernon Charles Swinburne: ” [The ruins of Selinunte] are scattered in different gorgeous heaps; the number of columns still standing from a distance look like a big city with many spiers…”.
Per Guy de Maupassant, Selinunte is “an immense accumulation of collapsed columns, now aligned and adjacent to the ground as dead soldiers, precipitated hours in a chaotic”. De facto, the uniqueness of Selinunte is given by the large amount of its ruins, by their size and their value, all elements that, together, is difficult to find in other parts of the Western world.
Metopes

From 1993 was established Archaeological Park, great 270 hectares, and there is no day of the year, from spring to autumn, that large groups of visitors is estimated at between lengths of columns and the moss that caresses, between the decoration of the stands and clumps of mastic that grow in the cracks, between those blocks of stone yellow-gold worked by man, poised on each other, in the Wild grew up with them; some clearing, small hedges, flower bushes, parsley flakes, few trees, many varieties of green, all out of time, arbitrary museum, challenge to measure and harmony. You get lost, between stones and sky, there behind the drums and reappears under a lintel, tiny under the temples survivors, giant silent to remember the glory of their gods be.

He was born rich, Selinunte, founded in the mid-seventh century. C. by colonists from Megara Hyblaea, near Syracuse, spintisi in the heart of the domains Carthaginians Island. The most westerly of the Greek colonies in Sicily was in the belly of the beast, between the Elymians of Segesta and the Phoenician-Punic Mozia. But for two centuries was prosperous and powerful, with its own brand, populous – seems – of 80.000 people, on a limestone hill surrounded by two rivers, the Modione (the ancient Selinus) and the Cottone, on the banks of which grew, luxuriant, wild parsley (it Selinus, note: onde Selinunte), in a fertile land – According to a legend, tempered by the great Empedocles, called for the occasion – that sloped down toward the sea of ​​Africa, beyond which the observed, worried, the terrible Carthage. Pure, relations between the two cities remained largely peaceful coexistence, based in particular on trade. Apart from the frequent border disputes with Segesta, rather, in Selinunte were stabilizing, along with the original core pro-Greek, uses, morals, mode typically Punic. And maybe that's why his artistic development is more complex and original than that of other Greek colonies in Sicily, as can be seen in the extraordinary metopes that decorated the fronts of the temples, of which remain sixteen specimens that are the most proud of the Regional Archaeological Museum in Palermo; or, also, the so-called Ephebe of Selinunte (recently moved to the Museum of Castelvetrano), bronze which has, setting next to all Greek, clear characteristics indigenous. Quickly the city extended its domains, founding Eraclea Minoa (570 a. C. about) and seizing a vast territory inside, corny, to the mouth of Platani. The sources speak of a progressive pro-Carthaginian attitude of the ruling class, reached the point of giving hospitality to Gisco, son of the Punic general Hamilcar, fallen in the great battle of Himera (480 a. C), he had seen the Carthaginians defeated by Greek forces, and in which it was declared a Selinunte neutral. Until, exploded the conflict between Athens and Syracuse – set directly on the request for help from Athens by Segesta, at yet another territorial dispute with Selinunte -, defeat of the Athenian expedition of Nicias, Segesta, feeling now at the mercy of Selinunte, called for help from Carthage. The siege lasted nine days, at the end of which (we are in 409 a.C.), Selinunte was destroyed after a desperate resistance. After, the Syracuse Hermocrates he rebuilt the walls and ruins established his headquarters, calling people siceliote appeal against the Carthaginian threat. A vain attempt. In the new political arrangements between Syracuse and Carthage, Selinunte – what was left of it – remained under the rule Punic. And at the end of the third century. C, the Carthaginians finally razed to the ground to keep it from falling into the hands of the Romans. The survivors were transferred to Lilibeo. Small communities they attended the acropolis in Byzantine and Arab. Then, of Selinunte lost the name. The site was identified as “House of idols” the “Land of them Pulici”.

Solo nella metà del ‘500 il monaco domenicano Tommaso Fazello identificò correttamente l’antica città.

Some, even at a distance of 2.500 years these ruins – Focusing on possible action of earthquakes – seem to be the result of a furious rage, as if the attackers had wanted to punish a city, in his own conceit, had dared too. We will not find answers in the rubble aggirandoci, but only an endless swarm of wonder and fantasy.

taken from the brochure of the Province of Trapani