New Evidence for Seventh Century Perishable Building Materials from Selinunte

Excavations in the main urban sanctuary of Selinunte, sponsored by the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University and the University of Milan in collaboration with the local Archaeological Park, have uncovered evidence for the settlement’s earliest architecture. In well-preserved strata predating the early-sixth century Temple R, itself the first example at Selinunte of a monu- mental structure with an entirely ashlar stone elevation, traces of mud, straw, and other perishable building materials were found. Thanks to discoveries made between 2009 and 2019, we can attribute these remains to two seventh century structures made within a generation of the settlement’s foundation. While crucial evidence for Selinunte’s early construction practices, understanding the function of these structures and their relationship to Temple R requires further consideration. A longstanding paradigm in the study of Greek sacred architecture would see these structures as predecessors to Temple R and evidence for cultic continuity. Some care must be taken in applying this paradigm to new discoveries, due in part to concerns unique to the Western Greek context, as well as a broader reassessment of “predecessor” structures in mainland Greece. Following a review of the archaeological evidence for the use of perishable materials in the seventh century within the area of Selinunte’s main urban sanctuary, we argue for a holistic approach to the identification of predecessors structures in western Greek sanctuaries, which weds architectural study with careful consideration of associated ritual activities, the identification of ritual habits being the surest way of linking predecessors built of perishable materials with their monumental stone successors.