Recent excavations in Selinunte

Recent excavations in Selinunte (ancient Selinus), one of Sicily’s most precious sites, have exposed what appears to be the largest Agora of the ancient world. 

This trapezoidal Agora covering more than 3 hectares, lies at the heart of the ancient settlement that goes back to the 6^th century BC. It was surrounded by shops and houses, revealing that the city traded goods with the entire Mediterranean. So far, only one archaeological feature was discovered under the agora: an empty tomb in the middle of the square, perhaps belonging to its founder. 

During the pandemic, all activities had stopped, but the archaeologists resumed digging in the area of the Acropolis in June 2022. 

The excavations started at the southern end and were centered on two temples defined as A and O. In my earlier blog Selinunte died tragically not unlike Pompeii, I explained that temples in Selinunte were named using a letter since they had not been closely identified. 

For many years, it was believed that temples A and O had been built at the same time, i.e., between 490 and 460 BC. They were, in fact, almost identical to each other. Both were 40.20 meters long and 16.20 meters wide, with columns rising up to 6.23 meters. They were tentatively attributed to the Dioscuri and Poseidon. New excavations provided evidence that Temple A is actually older than O. Besides, Temple O was never finished because a landslide interrupted its construction. Interestingly, the pronaos of Temple A yielded Punic statuettes, such as that of the goddess Tanit. 

Back in 2018, the plans were to re-erect the first columns of Temple G, which is situated further east and outside the precinct of the Acropolis. The temple is tentatively attributed to Zeus because of its imposing size: 109 meters long and 45 meters wide. The huge drums of the columns lie around randomly, and the cost of repositioning one column is estimated at 180,000 euros. I have no idea whether this operation was successful. 

Temple R (also known as E) from the 6^th century, possibly rebuilt after being destroyed by the Carthaginians in 409 BC, yielded one-half of a sizable stone mold used to create a bronze scepter. This is an exciting find because ten years ago, the other half of this mold was found nearby. It appears that being such a precious artifact, the two halves were buried in a different location to avoid replication. Other discoveries were an amulet in the shape of a falcon representing Horus made of Egyptian blue and arriving from Egypt in the 7^th century BC, and the refined miniature of an ivory siren probably from the 6^th century BC from Greece since its quality is comparable to similar finds at the Oracle of Apollo in Delphi. 

[Picture from Ansa Italia]

Further excavations around Temple R exposed remains of a boundary wall from 610 BC, i.e., not long after the first colonists’ arrival. 

More important, is the discovery of an underground aquifer under the foundations of Temple A. It confirms that the initial Greek colonists settled precisely south of the Acropolis, meaning that ancient Selinunte was born here. 

On the other hand, thermal images have revealed an original water system running from Temple M on the west bank of the Selino River down to the harbor supplying water to the houses of the early Greek settlers.  The Greeks certainly knew how to deviate water courses. The thermal scans also exposed the ancient shoreline, placing Greek Selinunte between two ports located immediately east and west of the city’s Acropolis. 

Selinunte was a true megalopolis in western Sicily that flourished from the 7^th century BC until the end of the 3^rd century BC. It was known for the richness of its farmlands and majestic temples, which we can only remotely imagine. Water management most certainly contributed to its wealth.