Western Sicily

2025-05-04 · 1 citations

Abstract The Greeks who migrated to Western Sicily in the seventh and sixth centuries established three major urban centers, at Acragas, Himera, and Selinus. A substantial indigenous Sicilian and Phoenician population in this part of the island brought the Greeks into regular contact with other ethnicities and cultures. The coexistence, conflict, and other forms of interactions between these peoples created a rich, multicultural tapestry that strongly influenced the experiences and history of the Greeks living in Western Sicily. This essay, in exploring the history of the Greek settlements in Western Sicily in the Archaic period, highlights not only the diversity of the Greek world but also the extent to which that diversity was the product of intense cultural exchanges that unfolded across the Mediterranean and over the course of centuries.

The Greeks

Oxford University Press eBooks · 2024-02-22

Abstract Greek settlers migrated from mainland Greece, the Aegean islands, and Asia Minor to southern Italy and Sicily. This chapter focuses on the new communities created by the Greeks from the time of their founding (the eighth to the early sixth century BCE) to their gradual control by Rome (the third to the second century), highlighting a number of significant features of political, social, and cultural development within the larger context of pre-Roman Italy. Archaeological research at indigenous sites suggests that Greek culture was not passively assimilated but that certain features, usually involving a significant degree of choice and self-determination, were selectively adopted and often adapted.

Small Statements of Prestige: On a Group of Early Classical Marble Statuettes from Selinunte

2023-10-09

Greeks and Natives at the Foundation of Selinus: A Revision

2022-08-08 · 2 citations

The Destruction of Cities in the Ancient Greek World

Cambridge University Press eBooks · 2021 · 15 citations

• Ancient history
• History
• Geography

From the Trojan War to the sack of Rome, from the fall of Constantinople to the bombings of World War II and the recent devastation of Syrian towns, the destruction of cities and the slaughter of civilian populations are among the most dramatic events in world history. But how reliable are literary sources for these events? Did ancient authors exaggerate the scale of destruction to create sensational narratives? This volume reassesses the impact of physical destruction on ancient Greek cities and its demographic and economic implications. Addressing methodological issues of interpreting the archaeological evidence for destructions, the volume examines the evidence for the destruction, survival, and recovery of Greek cities. The studies, written by an international group of specialists in archaeology, ancient history, and numismatic, range from Sicily to Asia Minor and Aegean Thrace, and include Athens, Corinth, and Eretria. They highlight the resilience of ancient populations and the recovery of cities in the long term.

The Carthaginian Conquest and Destruction of Selinus in 409 B.C.

Cambridge University Press eBooks · 2021-09-09 · 4 citations

The conquest and destruction of Selinus by the Carthaginian army in 409 B.C. and its reoccupation by the Syracusan general Hermocrates the year after provide an excellent case study for exploring two of the main themes of this volume. This chapter focuses on the destruction of 409 B.C., comparing Diodorus Siculus' account with the archaeological evidence, in an attempt to evaluate both the physical damage sustained by the city and the reliability of the ancient author. This discussion is followed by a brief account of Selinus' survival and recovery, always on the basis of Diodorus Siculus and the available archaeological evidence.

Drama in Public

Cambridge University Press eBooks · 2021-01-21

By the Hellenistic period, monumental stone theaters were being built throughout the Greek world in such great number that Pausanias later suggested that a polis without a theater (and from his context it is likely that he means a stone-built theater rather than a place in or near a sanctuary where wooden seats could be erected) was hardly worthy. Western Greek cities took part in this urban development, in some cases as early as the fourth century. Archaeological remains of eighteen stone theaters have been identified in Sicily and South Italy and at least ten others are suggested by literary sources (Map 6.1).

16. The New Investigations of the Institute of Fine Arts–NYU in the Main Urban Sanctuary of Selinunte

2020-02-10 · 2 citations

This essay focuses on the results of the Institute of Fine Arts-NYU investigations in the southern sector of the main urban sanctuary of Selinunte. Our first phase of research, undertaken between 2006 and 2010, was dedicated to Temple B, which is now safely restored as a Doric, prostyle tetrastyle temple on a podium. The temple was built around 300 B.C., at the time of the Carthaginian control of Selinunte. Its Greek features represent an important indication of the mixed Graeco- Punic character of the settlement at the time. Unfortunately, very little material culture can be associated with the phases of use of Temple B, due to the 19th century excavations in the area, which removed the stratigraphic layers without documenting the related finds. The situation is quite different with Temple R, whose area we have been exploring since 2011. The Orientalizing, Archaic, and Classical levels in the area of Temple R are almost entirely preserved, thanks to a thick layer of fill that dates to the end of the 4th century and covers the entire area of investigation. Earlier studies interpreted this fill layer as belonging to the phase of use of the sanctuary in the Archaic and Classical periods. As a result, it was never fully excavated. Thanks to this situation, our excavations inside and around Temple R have given us a deeper understanding of the development of this area of the sanctuary, starting with the first generation of life of Selinunte until the end of the 4th cent. B.C. In particular, the discovery of a large number of faunal remains and artefacts in their original architectural context has greatly contributed to our understanding of the development of cult and ritual practice. This includes a first phase of use of the area for cult activity within the last quarter of the 7th cent. B.C., the subsequent construction of Temple R in the early 6th cent. B.C., the damage by fire of the building between the late 6th and early 5th cent., and its subsequent renovation. The material also sheds light on the final damage by fire towards the end of the 5th cent., presumably on the occasion of the Carthaginian sack of Selinunte in 409 B.C., followed by a further restructuring of Temple R within a few years. Temple R may have gone out of use as a sacred structure over the course of the 4th cent. B.C., but in the earlier period, it was a major focus of cultic activity in Selinunte, as best indicated by its elaborate construction and rich foundation deposit and by its repeated reconstructions and associated votive offerings. Despite the absence of literary or epigraphical evidence, the temple can be attributed safely to a goddess given the nature of the votive offerings. This goddess is tentatively identified as Demeter (together with Kore) based on a number of factors, such as the faunal remains associated with the foundation deposit, mostly of piglets. This goddess had a particular association with war, which is suggested by the numerous dedications of offensive weapons (mostly iron spearheads) in the foundation deposit and the deposit connected with the late 6th to early 5th cent. renovation. The discovery of a bone aulos in the foundation deposit and of vases featuring Frauenfest scenes and depicting women dancing to the sound of music, together with the presence of a theatral viewing area (the "South Building") to the East of Temple R speaks to the significance of performances and spectacles in association with ritual activities in this sector of the sanctuary over the course of the 6th cent.

War and the life of a sacred structure.

Oxbow Books · 2020 · 4 citations

• Art
• History
• Ancient history

War and the Life of a Sacred Structure: Weapons from the NYU-UniMi Excavations in the Main Urban Sanctuary of Selinunte

2020-01-01