Selinunte

Selinunte; Selinous

Italy · Sicily

Ancient cityExcavation ongoing
Approximate period628 BCE — 250 BCEArchaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods See on the map ↓

In brief

The Greek colony in Sicily was founded in 628 BC and abandoned around 250 BC. Excavations in the main urban sanctuary investigate temple construction phases and votive practices.

What was found?

  • 1Iron spearheads

    They were found among offerings deposited along the inner wall beneath the first clay floor of Temple R. They show that weapons were used as offerings associated with the foundation of the sacred building.

  • 2Iron kopis blade

    It is a blade found beneath the temple's construction layers. According to researchers, its type appears in depictions of sacrificial ceremonies, and its deposition here indicates a ritual associated with the removal of the previous building.

  • 3Local and imported pottery offering vessels

    These are finely crafted vessels found beneath the first floor together with the spearheads. They show that offerings were selected from both locally produced and imported objects.

  • 4Well containing production waste

    Waste associated with metalworking and dyeing activities was found in the fill of the well south of the sanctuary. According to researchers, it indicates that the area was used for commercial activities in later periods.

What does it point to?

The offerings beneath the floor show the connection between temple construction and rituals. The well fill suggests that the same area's function changed over time; according to researchers, production and trade activities may have become prominent after its sacred use.

What did it teach us?

  1. Vessels and weapons had been deposited as offerings beneath the temple floor.
  2. There were traces of an earlier building made from perishable materials beneath Temple R.
  3. The excavation layers made it possible to distinguish phases of destruction, repair, and reuse.

Images

Sicily Selinunte Temple E (Hera)
AdiJapan · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

Latest news / selected archive

The 2024 excavations found an iron kopis blade, spearheads and pottery offerings beneath the construction layers of Temple R.

Record

Culture
Greek and Carthaginian
Team / historical
Clemente Marconi, Rosalia Pumo and Andrew Farinholt Ward; New York University
Coordinates
37.5836°, 12.8247°

Sources

  1. ifa.nyu.edu
  2. en.wikipedia.org
  3. New York Üniversitesi Güzel Sanatlar Enstitüsü — Selinunte 2023 kazı raporu

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