Listed 25 sub titles with search on: Archaeological sites for wider area of: "SICILY Island ITALY" .
SYRACUSSES (Ancient city) SICILY
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AKRAGAS (Ancient city) SICILY
Site: Akragas
Type: Temple
Summary: Temple; on the ridge marking the southern extent of the
city, east of the Temple of Herakles.
Date: ca. 430 B.C.
Period: Classical
Plan:
6 x 13; peripteral; pronaos and opisthodomos each distyle in antis; stairwells
on either side of the entrance to the cella leading to attic space.
History:
The temple was converted into a Christian church in the sixth century A.D.,
at which time the spaces between the columns were walled, the division between
the cella and the opisthodomos was destroyed, and arches were cut into the cella
walls. The blocks between the columns were removed in the 18th century. Due to
its conversion, this temple is one of the best preserved Doric temples in existence.
Its attribution to Concord is dubious.
Other Notes:
Double contraction on all four sides; subtle shifting to correct metope problem;
openings above cella porches to relieve lintels; curvature of stylobate; entasis
and slant of columns; uncarved metopes.
Carol A. Stein, ed.
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Site: Akragas
Type: Temple
Summary: Temple; in the southwestern corner of the city, east of
the "Temple of the Dioskouroi."
Date: Unknown Period
Plan:
Fragmentary remains of a peristyle and cella, crepidoma, and shafts of two
columns.
History:
Dated to 5th century B.C., but interior and foundations of an earlier temple are
contained in antis of the 6th century B.C.
Lisa M. Cerrato, ed.
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Site: Akragas
Type: Temple
Summary: Temple; on the ridge marking the southern extent of the
city, east of the Temple of Concord.
Date: ca. 460 B.C. - 440 B.C.
Period: Classical
Plan:
6 x 13; peripteral; pronaos and opisthodomos each distyle in antis. No angle
contraction
History:
Constructed in the prosperous period following the Battle of Himera (480 B.C.),
the Temple of Hera exhibits a Classic Doric plan. The ramp visible today on the
east end of the building is a Roman addition. Traces of burning on the surviving
superstructure may be the result of the Carthaginian sack of the city in 406 B.C.
Its attribution to Hera is probably erroneous.
Carol A. Stein, ed.
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Site: Akragas
Type: Temple
Summary: Temple; on the ridge marking the southern extent of the
city, just east of the Temple of Zeus Olympios.
Date: ca. 510 B.C.
Period: Archaic
Plan:
6 x 15; peripteral; pronaos and opisthodomos each distyle in antis; stairwells
on either side of the entrance to the cella leading to attic space. Angle contraction
on the fronts but not on the sides of the temple.
History:
The earliest of the large temples at Akragas, construction on this temple was
begun in the last decades of the sixth century (shortly before the nearby Temple
of Zeus Olympios). The temple capitals exhibit a stiff-profiled echinus, appearing
here for the first time in the west. Its attribution is uncertain, based solely
on a comment by Cicero.
Other Notes:
In 1924, eight columns on the south side were re-erected.
Carol A. Stein, ed.
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Site: Akragas
Type: Temple
Summary: Doric temple, its superstructure reconstructed in the 19th
c. from various fragments.
Date: Unknown
Plan:
Only the foundations remain, and, at the northwest corner, a group of four
columns with entablature was incorrectly reconstructed.
History:
The 1836 reconstruction of the group of columns incorporated architectural
elements of various periods and various buildings from this site.
Lisa M. Cerrato, ed.
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Site: Akragas
Type: Temple
Summary: Monumental temple, built of ashlar blocks; the largest
temple built in the Greek world.
Date: Unknown
Plan:
Over the foundations and the five-stepped crepidoma, in place of the traditional
colonnade there extended a solid wall, strengthened at regular intervals by Doric
half columns on the exterior and pilasters on the interior.
History:
Built after the victory of Himera 480 B.C., this temple was part of a grandiose
building program undertaken at Akragas. It was unfinished at the time of the Carthaginian
destruction in 406 B.C.
Other Notes:
Between the half columns, at mid height up against the solid wall, stood colossal
statues of Telamons, 7.65 m high, with arms bent at head level as if supporting
an architrave. The facades were decorated with sculptural representations of the
Gigantomachy and the Fall of Troy.
Lisa M. Cerrato, ed.
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GELA (Ancient city) SICILY
Site: Gela
Type: Temple
Summary: Temple; on the acropolis of the city
Date: ca. 480 B.C.
Period: Classical
Plan:
Some blocks for the underpinning of the cella and one of the columns of the opisthodomos
remain. Also, the foundations of an earlier, archaic temple are visible.
Carol A. Stein, ed.
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SELINOUS (Ancient city) SICILY
Site: Selinus
Type: Temple
Summary: Hexastyle peripteral temple on the highest point of the
acropolis built during the first half of the 6th century B.C.
Date: ca. 600 B.C. - 550 B.C.
Period: Archaic
Plan:
Hexastyle peripteral temple with seventeen columns on the sides. The cella building
comprised an adyton, a long and narrow cella, and a pronaos.
History: Erected in the 6th century B.C. and probably dedicated to Apollo,
the temple is thought to have fallen during an earthquake in the 5th century A.D.,
burying a Byzantine settlement, although the city had been sacked in 409 B.C.
by the Carthaginians. Fourteen columns of the north colonnade were re-erected
beginning in 1925, and the earthquake of 1968 disrupted this reconstruction. Since
then, scaffolding has covered it.
Other Notes:
The triglyph frieze carried carved metopes and was surmounted by a cornice revetted
with polychrome terracotta slabs. Two gorgoneia, also of painted terracotta, decorated
both pediments of the temple. On the temple roof, the ridge pole was covered by
the kalypteres also of polychrome terracotta. The columns are quite large (6 x
17), monolithic, and nearly 2 m in diameter at the base, except for the thicker
corner columns.
Lisa M. Cerrato, ed.
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Site: Selinus
Type: Temple
Summary: The southernmost of the east group of temples at Selinus,
this is a Doric temple probably dedicated to Hera.
Date: ca. 490 B.C. - 470 B.C.
Period: Early Classical
Plan:
This is hexastyle peripteral with 15 columns to the side, probably set within
a temenos, as suggested by a recently discovered wall. Its plan comprises pronaos,
cella, adyton, and opisthodomos in antis.
History:
Four of the metopes were discovered in 1831. Toppled by an earthquake, its colonnades
were recontructed in 1958.
Other Notes:
In the adyton stands the base for the cult statue of the patron deity, probably
Hera. The pronaos frieze carried sculptural metopes, four of which are in the
Palermo Museum.
Lisa M. Cerrato, ed.
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Site: Selinus
Type: Temple
Summary: The earliest of the three temples in the east group, east
of the city, situated between Temple E and Temple G.
Date: ca. 550 B.C.
Period: Archaic
Plan:
This was a hexastyle temple with 14 columns on the side with a pronaos, calla,
adyton, but no opisthodomos.
History:
At a certain time in the city's history, the Selinuntines built three temples
on the hill to the east of the city and acropolis, beyond the river Cottone. The
middle of the 6th century B.C. marked the start of this construction, since this
is the date attributed to the oldest of the three, Temple F.
Other Notes:
This temple was most likely dedicated to Athena or Dionysios.
Lisa M. Cerrato, ed.
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Site: Selinus
Type: Temple
Summary: One of the largest temples of antiquity, Temple G was left
unfinished at the time of the city's destruction in 409 B.C.
Date: ca. 500 B.C.
Period: Archaic
Plan:
This temple was hypaethral since the central nave was left unroofed. The vast
cella, preceded by a pronaos of four columns, had three doors corresponding to
the three inner naves formed by two rows of ten monolithic columns in two tiers.
History:
The variations in style and the fact that many columns are unfluted indicate that
the temple was under construction for a long period of time and was not complete
at the time of the city's destruction in 409 B.C.
Other Notes:
The columns are over 16 m high with a base diameter of 3.4 m and they weigh approximately
100 tons each. One column remains standing and the fallen capitals at the site
give an impression of the colossal scale of the unfinished building. The size
and scope of the temple, as well as the length of time devoted to its construction,
lend it many peculiarities and variations of style not found in other Doric temples.
Its columnar arrangement (8 x 17) is matched only by the Parthenon. This temple
was probably dedicated to Apollo or Zeus.
Lisa M. Cerrato, ed.
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SYRACUSSES (Ancient city) SICILY
Site: Syracuse
Type: Temple
Summary: Temple; in the northern portion of the island of Ortygia.
Date: ca. 565 B.C.
Period: Archaic
Plan:
6 x 17; double row of columns in front of cella; pronaos-distyle in antis; no
interior columns(?); adyton; four stepped crepidoma; small staircase on the east
end.
History:
The Temple of Apollo is the earliest example of monumental stone architecture
in Sicily. As identified by inscription, the temple was dedicated by Cleo[sthen]es,
presumably a tyrant of Syracuse. The temple's early date is attested to by its
massive proportions, narrowly spaced columns, and spreading column capitals. Possible
influence from eastern Ionic temples may be seen in the wider central intercolumniation
and the lack of anta projections, typical to the Doric style. Other variations
from the mainland Doric style include the lack of entasis, a reduced number of
flutes on the columns (16), and a lack of correlation in the spacing of the triglyphs
with the columns below. On the northeast angle column, the fluting was not carried
down to the stylobate, perhaps a sign of incompletion.
Carol A. Stein, ed.
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Site: Syracuse
Type: Altar
Summary: Altar; to the south of the theater.
Date: 269 B.C. - 215 B.C.
Period: Hellenistic
History:
The altar of Zeus Eleutherios (the Liberator) was constructed by Hieron II, tyrant
of Syracuse, as part of his building program in this area; it is approximately
contemporaneous with the nearby theater and nymphaeum. Diodorus states that 450
oxen were able to be sacrificed simultaneously atop the altar during the annual
feast of Zeus Eleutherios. Despite its enormous length (600 Doric feet; ca. 196
m), the altar was quite narrow and it stood ca. 11 m high. Narrow stairways were
located at each end of the front, flanked by telamones.
Carol A. Stein, ed.
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Site: Syracuse
Type: Temple
Summary: Doric temple, its remains now incorporated in a modern
cathedral
Date: ca. 470 B.C.
Period: Classical
Plan:
6 x 14; no interior columns; pronaos and opisthodomos each distyle in antis Double
angle contraction
Carol A. Stein, ed.
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Site: Syracuse
Type: Temple
Summary: Temple; across the Great Harbor, outside of the city.
Date: ca. 555 B.C.
Period: Archaic
Plan:
6 x 17; double colonnade in front of cella; pronaos - distyle in antis; no interior
columns; adyton.
History:
Similar in plan to the Temple of Apollo on Ortygia, the Temple of Zeus Olympios
has at least one improvement on its famous predecessor: the elimination of the
widened central intercolumniation along the short ends. On both of the two standing
column fragments, the fluting was not carried down to the stylobate (cp. Temple
of Apollo at Syracuse ), perhaps a sign of incompletion.
Carol A. Stein, ed.
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AKRAGAS (Ancient city) SICILY
Region: Sicily
Periods: Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman
Type: Fortified city
Summary: One of the most prosperous of the Greek cities of Sicily
and a rival to Syracuse in power.
Physical Description:
Akragas occupied the top of a ridge between the confluence
of the Hypsas and Akragas rivers, ca. 5 km inland from the Sicilian SW coast.
The slope of the ridge is abrupt in three dircetions, but more gentle to the S
side which leads down to the Hypsas valley. The acropolis occupied the highest
and narrowest part of the ridge at the NW. This was also the steepest area of
the ridge and the acropolis was not walled. Southeast of the acropolis the ridge
top broadens and slopes gently away to the S. This area of approximately 1 km
square was enclosed by a strong fortification wall of ca. 10 km in length and
contained the main part of the city. Recent excavations in the ancient residential
area have shown that the Hellenistic and Roman city was laid out on a rectangular
grid plan that seems to overlay an earlier grid system of the 5th century B.C.
The regular grid system of the earlier city streets may have been established
during the extensive building program carried out at the beginning of the 5th
century B.C. and coincide with the design of aqueducts and underground water transfer
and storage system built by the architect Phaiax. South of the main area of the
city, the city wall runs along the southern edge of the ridge top. Just inside
the city wall and also arranged along the southern edge of the ridge plateau are
the major sanctuaries and temples of the city. The temples of Hera, Concord, Herakles,
Olympian Zeus, and Hephaistos, as well as the sanctuary of Demeter and the Chthonic
Deities and other religious shrines are arranged along the southern boundary of
the city. The central city gate (Gate IV or the Golden Gate) opens near the center
of the southern wall on the temple ridge. From this gate an ancient road continued
down slope to the Hypsas valley, passing additional religious centers, including
the sanctuary of Asklepios, and continued on to the city's harbor at Emporium.
Description:
Akragas claimed the legendary Daedalus as its founder,
but in fact the city seems to have been established by a group of Rhodian and
Cretan colonists from the city of Gela at ca. 582 B.C. The settlers named the
city after the river along its eastern side. Under the tyrant Phalaris, ca. 570
B.C., the city began to expand its territory and by the end of the reign of Theron,
a century later, the city state had reached the height of its military and political
power. Theron had led the city to victory over the Carthaginians in 480 B.C. and
initiated a major building program in Akragas which included an extensive water
system designed by the architect Phaiax. The city continued to prosper until the
end of the 5th century B.C. In 406, after a siege of eight months, Akragas was
conquered and completely destroyed by Carthage. the city remained abandoned until
ca. 340 B.C. when Timoleon, the Corinthian established at Syracuse, defeated the
Carthaginians and restored independence to the Sicilian cities. Timoleon rebuilt
Akragas and repopulated it with displaced Akragasians and immigrants from Elea.
In 276 B.C. Akragas again fell under the control of Carthage, but after several
sieges of the city, Rome gained control in 210 B.C. The Romans enslaved the inhabitants
and repopulated the city which thereafter enjoyed peace and prosperity under Roman
rule. Commerce and industry advanced and the port at Emporium flourished. During
the early Christian period the city quickly declined and it was little more than
a village by the time of the Arab invasion in A.D. 827.
Donald R. Keller, ed.
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GELA (Ancient city) SICILY
Region: Sicily
Periods: Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic
Type: Fortified city
Summary: City of a Greek colony with well preserved city walls.
Physical Description:
The site of Gela occupied the top of a low sandy ridge
running parallel and adjacent to the coast just W of the Gela river. The city's
acropolis was at the E end of the ridge and the public and private buildings extended
off to the W. In 338 B.C. the new city of Timoleon was built on a grid plan that
placed houses and public buildings on terraced terrain to the W and encroached
upon the older acropolis area to the E. The rebuilt city was enclosed by new fortification
walls (ca. 4 km in length) which encircled the entire ridge top. The fortification
walls at Gela were built in a standard 4th century B.C. manner. A stone wall of
ca. 3.5 m in height was capped by an additional 2 m high section of mud brick
walling. At Gela the drifting sands made it necessary to twice extend the height
of the mud brick upper section of walls until a total height of over 8 m was reached.
In the 3rd century B.C., when the city was abandoned, the sand drifts continued
to rise until sections of the wall were completely buried. In WW II, naval bombardment
exposed this rare example of ancient military architecture and the remains have
since been excavated and conserved.
Description:
Gela, named for the river that runs beside it, was founded
in 689 B.C. by colonists from Rhodes and Crete. Following a difficult struggle
with the native inhabitants, the Greeks began to expand their control into western
Sicily. By 582 B.C. the city was secure enough to establish a colony at Akragas
and to gain political control over much of the western and central portion of
the island. At the end of the 6th century the city had extended its control into
SE Sicily, and, under the rule of Hippocrates (498-491 B.C.) Gela had reached
the peak of its economical and political power. In 480 B.C., under the rule of
Gelon, the city defeated Carthage. Gelon, however, elected to move his seat of
power and many of the Geloans to Syracuse. During the rest of the 5th century
Gela declined in political importance, but it remained a prosperous cultural center.
In 405 B.C. Gela was defeated and the city razed by the Carthaginians. The city
was abandoned until the Corinthian Timoleon rebuilt and repopulated the site in
338 B.C. In 310 B.C. Gela was conquered by Syracuse and was reduced to a military
base occupying only the western part of the ridge top. At ca. 284 B.C. Phintias,
the tyrant of Akragas, destroyed Gela and removed its inhabitants to the new city
he had named after himself. Gela remained deserted until the medieval town of
Terranova was built on the site in the 13th century.
Exploration:
There were some excavations at Gela in 1900 and new excavations
were started in 1948 and continue to the present.
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SELINOUS (Ancient city) SICILY
Region: Sicily
Periods: Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic
Type: Fortified city
Summary: Wealthy colony on the SW coast of Sicily
Physical Description:
The city was the westernmost colony in Sicily. The acropolis
occupies a low hill along the southern coast of the island, with harbors on either
side -- the western one formed by the mouth of the river Selinus (modern Modione)
and the eastern one by the river Calici (modern Cotone). Neither river is much
more than a marsh today. The city extended northwards onto the hill now known
as the Manuzza, and to the east onto ridge occupied by three great Doric temples,
and was surrounded by fertile agricultural land. A native Sican settlement had
occupied the site of the later Archaic cemetery to the NE, and coexisted with
the Greek settlement in its early years. Corinthian pottery of the mid-seventh
century as been found on the necropolis (which lay on either side of the river
Selinus, extending up to 5 km. from the town) and at the sanctuaries, and there
are some traces of temple building in the seventh century as well (Temples X and
Y on the acropolis). A Greek grid-planned town on the Manuzza hill to the north
of the acropolis is conspicuous in aerial photographs, and has recently been partly
excavated. A major sanctuary dedicated to the Chthonic deities Demeter, Zeus and
Hekate was situated on the west bank of the river Selinus (the Sanctuary of Demeter
Malophoros). On the acropolis were four large Doric temples, two of the sixth
century, two of the fifth, and a small shrine. None of these has been securely
attributed to specific deities, but are identified by letters (Temples A, C, D,
and O; Shrine B). Defensive walls girded the acropolis, most of whose standing
remains can be dated to the late sixth or early fifth centuries B.C. To the north
of the city lay a small Archaic temple and altar. On the plateau to the east of
the city, across the Calici river, were three more sixth-century Doric temples,
Temples E, F, and G (also known as R, S and T respectively). The material remains
are impressive, particularly the stone metopes and terracotta gorgoneia from Temple
C (now in the Palermo Museum) and the massive, unfinished Temple G, attributed
to Apollo and one of the largest Greek temples ever attempted. The city was destroyed
by Carthaginians in 409 BC (Diod. Sic. 13.54-62). Though the area of the acropolis
was resettled by survivors and by the Carthaginians, Selinus never regained prominence.
The city remained under Punic control until 250 B.C. when, after Carthage had
again razed the city, the site was essentially deserted. The acropolis was refortified
in the Byzantine period, and the sanctuary of the Chthonic divinities was also
reused then.
Description:
Thucydides asserts that Selinus was founded in 628/7 BC,
one hundred years after the foundation of her metropolis, Megara Hyblaea in western
Sicily (Thuc. 6.4.2). Pammilos of Megara (Nisaia) in Central Greece led the expedition
as oikist (founder), for the Hyblaeans had requested an oikist be sent from their
own metropolis. They were following a customary ritual which underlined the continuity
of the colony with the original community, even at one remove (cf. the case of
Epidamnos, Thuc. 1.24.2). Against Thucydides' conveniently round figure of 100
years after the foundation of Megara Hyblaea, the later authors Diodorus and Eusebius
give a discordant foundation date of 651/0 BC (Diod. Sic. 13.59.4). Their date
may be borne out by archaeological finds, but here one is always in danger of
relying upon circular evidence. As a rule, a defensible island, promontory or
escarpment was the most common site for a new colony, but Selinus had only a fairly
low fortified hill (although in antiquity the acropolis was probably more like
a peninsula since the harbors on either side extended much further inland than
they do today). Pammilos could have chosen a more defensible site with better
harbors and with equally fertile land to the east, so it is a puzzle why this
site was chosen Similar questions are asked of the site of Himera on the north
coast of Sicily, which was founded three years after Selinus according to Diodorus
(Diod. Sic. 13.62.56; cf. Diod. Sic. 13.54.1). Both western Sicilian cities may
have been convenient stops on the coasting route to and from Spain and north Africa,
and Himera to Etruria as well. Both could have been settled to facilitate trade
with Phoenician colonies (Selinus with Motya, Himera with Panormus [modern Palermo]
and Soloeis), or to block eastward Punic expansion. In any case Greek colonial
expedition were unwelcome further west. The Phoenicians and the native Elymi of
northeast Sicily repulsed Dorian colonists from Lilybaion, a peninsula overlooking
Motya (ca. 570 BC), and from Mt. Eryx, betwen Motya and Panormus (ca. 510 BC).
The former had some bearing on Selinus, for the would-be colonists briefly joined
the Elymi of Segesta against her (Diod. Sic. 5.9) and the latter had some bearing
on Minoa, a Selinuntine colony at the mouth of the Halycus River (modern Platani),
for the survivors of the attempted colony of Herakleia at Mt. Eryx captured and
refounded it as Herakleia Minoa (Hdt. 5.43-46). However, there is evidence of
mostly amicable relations between the colonists of Himera and Selinus and the
Punic colonists to their west. A metrical epitaph for a fallen Greek (Selinuntine?)
dated to the first half of the fifth century has been unearthed in Motya, which
had a sizable Greek element (Diod. Sic. 46.53.2). Further, Hamilcar of Carthage,
called in by the tyrants of Himera and Rhegion, counted upon the aid of Selinus
against Theron of Akragas and Gelon of Syracuse in the Battle of Himera (480 BC).
Selinus could also have been founded to open commercial contacts with the native
Elymi in the northeast corner of the island (at sites such as Segesta). In support
of this, Early Corinthian pottery has been found at the Elymian town of Segesta
and at a Selinuntine sanctuary to Herakles up the Hypsas river near Poggioreale
(close to Elymian Entella), and the pottery can be dated as early as any found
at Himera or Selinus. Fostering good relations with the neighboring peoples, Sicans,
Elymi, and Phoenicians, would have allowed the Selinuntines to become prosperous
through agriculture and commerce while occupying a not particularly strong site,
similar to the position of their metropolis (Megara and Hyblon, Hdt. 6.4.1). Pammilos
as oikist would have overseen the division of the land into kleroi (allotments)
of relatively equal size or value for each colonist. He would also have set aside
land for the gods in sacred precincts, where monumental stone temples would later
be built. Cult practice in these precincts probably reflects the continuity of
institutions from the original mother city to later colonies. Demeter and her
daughter Persephone (possibly worshipped in Selinus as Pasikrateia, "all-powerful",
Meiggs & Lewis, no. 38) held particular prominence in agriculturally rich Sicily,
the site of Persephone's abduction. Demeter's cult title of Malophoros is attested
only here and at Megara (Nisaia) (Paus. 1.44.3), and is confirmed by inscriptions
and several thousand terracotta statuettes of the goddess carrying a pomegranate.
Hers was one of the first sanctuaries established (quadrangular, 50 x 60 m.) and
here some of the earliest finds of pottery at Selinus have been unearthed. The
main structure within the precinct is her megaron with an altar in front. Also
within the precinct wall was a shrine to her consort, Zeus Meilichios, whom farmers
would invoke with chthonic Demeter at the time of sowing. Subterranean Zeus was
dreadful and beneficent -- he offered purification after blood-feud and ensured
the growth fo crops. His epithet ("Gentle One") may be a euphemism in the way
that the treacherous Black Sea was called the Euxine ("Kind to Travelers"), or
it may indicate his role in appeasing the dead. Inscribed stelai, sometimes with
two heads sculpted at the top, were dedicated to Meilichios -- perhaps remnants
of primal aniconic stone-worship (cf. Jeffery 1990, 255, 270-1, 277:31-2), or
perhaps the result of Punic influence. His cult seems to have been under the care
of an aristocratic Selinuntine genos, the kleulidai, in the same way that in Megara
his cult was under the care of an (unrelated) genos. There was also a temple of
Hekate (cf. Jeffery 1990, 271, 277.41) and an elaborate propylon to the whole
complex. The precinct seems to have served both Greeks (from the mainland as well
as colonists) and natives. The propylon was partially remodelled during the Punic/Hellenistic
period, and the megaron of Demeter was modified in the Byzantine period. The colossal
Temple X, on the acropolis south of Temple C, and the smaller Temple Y (from which
some decoration survives -- metopes and cornice decoration) were leveled to their
foundations by the sixth century, when Selinus undertook an impressive series
of temple-building projects, the first of which was Temple C (mid-sixth century;
see Selinus,Temple C ). It was built upon the highest point of the acropolis,
and now lies in ruins. This is one of the earliest examples of Archaic temple
building in the Doric style: hexastyle (six columns on the fronts), constructed
on a notably elongated plan, with a narrow cella and with large, tapered columns
(some monolithic, some drums). Carved metopes from the Doric frieze survive, as
well as two painted terracotta gorgoneia from each pediment (a Western Greek phenomenon,
with other examples found at Syracuse, Gela and one in stone at Corcyra). The
limestone of the friezes and columns was covered with plaster and painted as well.
The first altar of the temple lies to the southeast and the later altar is to
the east. Not much later are Temple D on the acropolis and Temple F (S) on the
eastern plateau (both second half of the 6th century BC). Both are about the same
width as temple C; both are hexastyle, and both have narrow cellas, but they are
not as elongated as Temple C. The sculptured metopes of Temple F have survived.
This temple also has enigmatic intercolumnar screen walls. The massive Temple
G (T), dedicated to Apollo, was begun not much later on the eastern plateau, the
first colossal temple in the West to vie with the great Ionic temples of Asia
Minor. It measures some 50.1 x 110.36 m. Like the Ionic temples, it is octastyle
(8 columns on the fronts). The work was begun on the east side in the late 6th
century, and moved slowly west, until finally the west side was nearing completion
in the fifth century BC; different parts of the temple thus show markedly different
styles. The interior was so vast that it was probably never intended to be roofed.
The ambitious project was abandoned some time before (or because of) the Carthaginian
attack of 409 BC, and column drums of matching proportions have been left half-carved
in the quarries 9 km to the northwest at Cusa/Campobello. While work on Temple
G was in progress, the Selinuntines began Temples A and O on the acropolis and
Temple E (R) on the eastern plateau (ca. 480 BC, after the defeat of Hamilcar
at Himera). The temples exhibit a more developed Doric style, with the spacing
between columns contracting as they reached the corners. The sculptured metopes
of Temple E were made of limestone covered with plaster, but with marble inserts
for heads, hands and feet of female figures ("acrolithic" sculpture). The ruins
of Temple F have been restored, while Temples A and O were joined together in
the medieval period and rebuilt as a fortified tower. Pammilos would have erected
at least a wooden palisade on the acropolis, and this was replaced by stone fortifications,
much of which survives. Most of the remains of the extensive circuit wall can
be dated to the late 6th/early 5th c. BC, with evidence of repairs made by Hermocrates
ca. 408 BC. The fortifications and gate complex at the northern end of the acropolis,
leading out to the Manuzza hill and residential quarter, are particularly impressive.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains 403 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
SYRACUSSES (Ancient city) SICILY
Region: Sicily
Periods: Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman
Type: Fortified city and port
Summary: The richest Greek city of Sicily and a western rival of
Athens.
Physical Description:
The city of Syracuse is located at the SE corner of Sicily and included
the offshore island of Ortygia. Ortygia, which forms the N arm of the natural
harbor at Syracuse, was a naturally defensible site with a source of fresh water.
It was the position first occupied by the Greek colonists who fortified it, laid
out a linear grid pattern of streets, and constructed their earliest sanctuaries,
including temples of Athena and Apollo. The narrow island remained a citadel of
the city even after it was joined to the mainland at ca. 550 B.C. In addition
to the large deep harbor (Great Harbor) S of the island, the construction of moles
formed a small second harbor N of the island. These facilities made Syracuse one
of the principal ports of the western Mediterranian. On the mainland W of Ortygia,
and extending to the N, was the commercial and administrative center of Syracuse,
the district of Achradina. The agora, shops, and public buildings were in this
area adjoining the quays and dry docks of the harbors. West of Achradina was the
district of Neapolis, where the theater, ampitheater, and many of the major monuments
were located. Northwest of Achradina and Neapolis was the residential district
of Tyche. The slopping terrain of the Tyche district reached up to the plateau
of Epipolae, which was a largely undeveloped area of the city. This high ground
was, for stratigic reasons, included within the city's defensive walls which extended
far to the W, to the fortress of Euryalos. The well-designed fortress was constructed
as an independent strong point at the northwestern extreme of the city's defenses
where the only level approach to the Epipolae plateau is located. The latest city
walls of Syracuse extended for ca. 31 km and were built by Dionysios at the beginning
of the 4th century B.C. A major sanctuary of Olympian Zeus is also located at
Syracuse, ca. 3 km S of the city, on the banks of the Cyane river.
Description:
In 734 B.C. Corinthians, led by Archias, overcame a local Sicel settlement
on the island of Ortygia and established the colony of Syracuse. The island, forming
the N side of the Great Harbor and with its own source of fresh water, the spring
of Arethusa, remained the citadel of Syracuse. The city, however, soon extended
to the mainland, and in the mid 6th century B.C., Ortygia was connected to the
mainland by a causeway. In the course of the 5th century B.C. the wealth, cultural
development, and political power of Syracuse rivalled Athens itself. In 485 B.C.,
Gelon, the tyrant of Gela, who had gained control over most of Sicily, seized
Syracuse and made it his capital. In 480 B.C. Gelon led the Greeks in a victory
over the Carthaginians at Himera. Gelon's brother, who succeeded him, defeated
the Etruscians in a naval battle in 474 B.C. and ensured the dominance of Syracuse
over the entire southwestern Mediterranian basin. In 415-413 B.C. Syracuse was
victorious in a war with Athens. Between 410 and 397 B.C. Syracuse was again victorious
over the Carthaginians and renewed its claim to supremacy in the western Mediterranian.
In the middle of the 4th century B.C., however, Carthage again invaded Sicily
and threatened Syracuse. In 344 B.C., the Corinthian Timoleon was sent to Sicily
at the request of the Greek cities there in order to repel the Carthaginians.
Timoleon took possession of Syracuse and led the Sicilian Greeks to victory in
339 B.C. Timoleon rebuilt the Greek cities and established democratic governments
in each. Syracuse continued to better the Carthaginians in battle and in the 3rd
century B.C. became allied with Rome. Later the city attempted to reject the alliance
and at ca. 212 B.C., after a two year siege, the Romans conquered Syracuse. The
Roman plunder and looting of art from Syracuse is said to have created the first
appreciation of Classical Greek art in Rome. Syracuse declined under Roman rule
and was finally destroyed by the Saracens in A.D. 878.
Donald R. Keller, ed.
This text is cited Aug 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains 127 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
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