L'alba della colonizzazione: indagini sull'acropoli di Selinunte (Trapani)

Since 2006, the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, under the directorship of prof. Clemente Marconi, has carried out systematic excavations on the Acropolis at Selinous, Sicily, which was one of most prosperous Greek colonies in the Western Mediterranean. In a wider scientific cooperation between Italian and American Institutions, the IBAM team, under the direction of dr. Massimo Cultraro, plays a significant role in studying and exploring the period before the Greek colonies. Late Bronze Age evidence has been found in different sectors of southern part of Acropolis, confirming the existence of an indigenous settlement, which was abandoned before the arrival of the Greeks. Moreover, the discovery of Late Helladic pottery of Mycenaean and Cypriot fabrics confirms the strategic role of this Protohistoric site in long-distance contacts with other areas of the Mediterranean Sea. The multidisciplinary approach to the pre-Greek Selinous settlement, involving different specialized activities and investigative protocols carried out by CNR, makes the joint laboratory a stimulating and innovative experience, aiming towards closer integration and training between researchers from both countries.