New Evidence for Early Greek Settlement on the Acropolis of Selinunte

Since 2007, the excavations by the Institute of Fine Arts–NYU’s mission on the Acropolis of Selinunte have uncovered significant new evidence concerning the early phase of Greek settlement. This evidence includes architectural features such as clay floors and mud-brick walls on foundations made of rubble, plus numerous faunal remains and artifacts. The finds are concentrated in the area west of Temple B, and they most likely relate to two 7th-century buildings, datable to c. 610 BC, which were systematically dismantled to make way for Temple R c. 590–580 BC. This new evidence contributes significantly to our understanding of the early phase of the Greek occupation of Selinunte. It supports the theory that the original settlement was located in the southern sector of the Acropolis and had an orthogonal plan. And it also suggests that this sector of the main urban sanctuary was in use as a sacred space since around the time of the Greek foundation. No less notable is the rich variety of material culture, including indigenous pottery, suggesting a particularly intense interaction with the indigenous hinterland at the time of Greek settlement in Selinunte.