Archaeological Area of Selinunte

Description

Selinunte was founded by Greeks in the 7^th century BCE on a promontory on the South-western coast of Sicily in the area of Castelvetrano (TP), between the valleys of Mounts Belice and Modione. It reached its maximum splendour in the 6^th and 5^th centuries BCE and was destroyed by Carthage in 409 BCE.
Spread out over approx. 270 hectares, the archaeological park is one of the largest in the Mediterranean and has 7 separate areas:

1. the acropolis, on the central Southern promontory, is the sacred area full of temples, with some residences and protective encircling fortifications;
2. the hill of Manuzza, to the North of the acropolis, has an ancient residential layout and the agora, the political and social heart of the city;
3. the Eastern hill, a sacred area outside the walls with temples E (Hera?), F and G (Zeus);
4. the Gaggera hill, to the West, is another sacred area outside the walls with the sanctuary of Malophoros, the sanctuary of Zeus Meilichius, the temple of Hera Matronale and Temple M;
5. the artisanal quarter, near the eastern walls of the city, has numerous ceramic kilns and workshops;
6. the Byzantine baptistery stands at the source of the Modione river, West of the acropolis;
7. the Cusa quarries, approx. 11 km north west of Selinunte, a long rocky escarpment which provided the stone for the city’s temples.

Position on map