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Two hours south of Palermo lies a site which bears testament
to Sicily’s importance in the ancient world – Selinunte.
Overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and surrounded by lush green
countryside, Selinunte is the site of some of the best preserved
Greek ruins in all of Europe. It’s name is derived from
the wild celery known as selinon which still grows in the
area.
What's the history here?
Selinunte was once a thriving Greek city set in spectacular
surroundings on the Sicilian coast. In it’s heyday, it
had a population of about 25,000 – these days all that
remains are the ruins of the acropolis and a number of tumbledown
temples.
The city was founded by Greek colonists from Megara Hyblea,
on the east coast of Sicily, between 650 and 630 BC. It quickly
became embroiled in territorial skirmishes with the neighbouring
Elami and Entella, and built a harbour in order
to protect its interests. After a treaty was reached in 580
BC, Selinunte turned her sea-faring capabilities to trade,
and swiftly amassed riches which were the envy of other nations.
The Cartheginians were particularly concerned at Selinunte’s
new found wealth, as they didn’t want to be ousted from
their position of control over Sicily. Selinunte, for her
part, attempted to remain neutral in subsequent conflicts
between the Greek colonies. Ultimately, in 409 BC, Carthage
used some minor skirmishes between Selinunte and the Elami
as an excuse to attack the town. Selinunte was besieged for
just nine days before the 100,000 strong army of Carthaginians
breached the walls and embarked on a brutal frenzy of destruction.
Selinunte was inhabited by Carthaginians for the next 150
years, but it never regained its former prosperity. In 250
BC it was razed to the ground by Carthaginian forces who wanted
to deprive Rome of her prize for capturing nearby Palermo.
In the early 8th century a small village grew up around the
ruined city of Selinunte, but was destroyed by a serious earthquake
about a hundred years later. The ruins have remained uninhabited
from this time, and since no modern buildings have been constructed
above the ruins the site is of supreme importance to archaeologists
studying the Greek colonisation of Sicily.
What's there to see and do?
Selinunte is a spectacular site, evocative of the power and
wealth of the ancient Greek civilisation. The temples at Selinunte,
five of which are clustered around the acropolis, are identified
by the letters A to G, O & M. Most remarkable are:
Temple C - Many of the metopes from Temples C depicting scenes
from Greek mythology are on display at the Archaeological
Museum in Palermo. This temple is located within the acropolis.
Temple E – Reconstructed amid much controversy in 1958,
Temple E was originally built in the 5th century BC. It is
thought to have been dedicated to the Greek god Dionysus.
The more outstanding metopes in the Archaeological Museum
in Palermo come from this temple.
Temple G – One of the largest temples ever built by the
Greeks, believed to have been dedicated to Apollo, the sun
god. Sadly, little remains of this apart from one of the enormous
columns and a huge pile of rubble.
The acropolis was built on high ground overlooking
the sea. Some parts of the ancient walls surrounding it remain,
but the most part was reconstructed in 1927. The agora or
‘marketplace’ and two main streets have been fully
excavated.
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