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122-502: The archaeological site contains many great temples, the earliest dating from 550 BC, with five centred on an acropolis . At its peak before 409 BC the city may have had 30,000 inhabitants, excluding slaves. It was destroyed and abandoned in 250 BC and never reoccupied. Selinunte was one of the most important of the Greek colonies in Sicily, situated on the southwest coast of that island, at

244-503: A citadel , and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens , yet every Greek city had an acropolis of its own. Acropolises were used as religious centers and places of worship, forts, and places in which the royal and high-status resided. Acropolises became the nuclei of large cities of classical ancient times, and served as important centers of

366-596: A tyranny , and about 510 BC was subject to a despot named Peithagoras, who was overthrown with the assistance of the Spartan Euryleon, one of the companions of Dorieus . Euryleon himself ruled the city, for a little while, but was speedily overthrown and put to death by the Selinuntines. The Selinuntines supported the Carthaginians during the great expedition of Hamilcar (480 BC); they even promised to send

488-487: A cistern, a closed basin protected by a portico with columns and an access staircase of four steps with a large paved area in front of it. The building is in the doric style and is dated to the middle of the sixth century mainly by the architectural terracotta discovered there. The fragments of metopes with the Amazonomachy , although found nearby, do not belong to the building, which had small, smooth metopes. Another megaron,

610-551: A command, he was for doing what was safe." Plutarch also noted that on the battlefield, Nicias was recognized as a fair combatant, fighting as courageously as any other soldier. After fighting for a decade in the Peloponnesian War , both Athens and Sparta were exhausted. The Athenian general, Laches , with the support of Nicias, successfully moved in the Athenian Assembly in 423 BC for an armistice with Sparta to check

732-748: A community. Some well-known acropolises have become the centers of tourism in present-day, and, especially, the Acropolis of Athens has been a revolutionary center for the studies of ancient Greece since the Mycenaean period. Many of them have become a source of revenue for Greece, and represent some great technology during the period. An acropolis is defined by the Greek definition of ἀκρόπολις , akropolis ; from akros ( άκρος ) or akron ( άκρον ) meaning “highest; edge; extremity”, and polis ( πόλις ) meaning “city.” The plural of acropolis ( ακρόπολη )

854-733: A contingent to the Carthaginian army, but this did not arrive until after Hamilcar's defeat at the Battle of Himera . The Selinuntines are next mentioned in 466 BC, co-operating with the other cities of Sicily to help the Syracusans to expel Thrasybulus . Thucydides speaks of Selinunte just before the Athenian expedition in 416 BC as a powerful and wealthy city, possessing great resources for war both by land and sea, and having large stores of wealth accumulated in its temples. Diodorus also represents it at

976-410: A defensive wall. There have not been systematic excavations in the area, but there have been some sondages , which have confirmed that the area was inhabited from the foundation of Selinus (seventh century BC) and therefore was not a later expansion of the city. After the destruction of Selinus in 409, this area of the city was not reinhabited. The refugees returned by Hermocrates were settled only on

1098-527: A few hundred metres to the northeast of the Sanctuary of the Malophoros, has been excavated recently. Around Selinus some areas used as necropoleis can be identified. Cave di Cusa (The Quarries of Cusa) are made up of banks of limestone near Campobello di Mazara, thirteen kilometres from Selinus. They were the stone quarries from which the material for the buildings of Selinus came. The most notable element of

1220-452: A force and were wholly unprepared to resist it. The city fortifications were, in many places, in disrepair, and the armed forces promised by Syracuse, Acragas (modern Agrigento ) and Gela , were not ready and did not arrive in time. The Selinuntines fought the Carthaginians on their own and continued to defend their individual houses even after the walls were breached. However, the enemy's overwhelming numbers made resistance hopeless, and after

1342-689: A later period they were called the Aquae Labodes or Larodes, under which name they appear in the Itineraries . The city is beside the sea, between the Modione River (the ancient Selinus) in the west and the Cottone River in the east, on two high areas connected by a narrow isthmus . The part of the city to the south, next to the sea, contains the acropolis which is based around two intersecting streets and contains many temples (A, B, C , D, O). The part of

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1464-610: A mosaic pavement showing symbolic figures of the Phoenician goddess Tanit , a caduceus , the Sun , a crown , and a bull's head , which testifies to the reuse of the space as a religious or domestic area in the Punic period. Temple O was dedicated to Poseidon or perhaps Athena ; Temple A to the Dioscuri or perhaps to Apollo . 34 metres east of Temple A are the remains of the monumental entrance to

1586-436: A pillar. Nicias was Strategos in both 427 BC and 425 BC. During these years, Nicias was a very cautious general. He avoided engaging in any important military enterprise during his time as commander. According to Plutarch this was to his benefit, as Nicias was able to avoid the worst of Athens' misfortunes, both military and political. Plutarch states that "Nicias declined all difficult and lengthy enterprises; if he took

1708-399: A prostyle pronaos with four columns, with two deep antae walls ending in pilasters and three doors leading to the large naos. The naos was very large and divided into three aisles – the middle one was probably open to the air ( hypaethros ). There were two rows of ten slender columns which supported a second row of columns (the gallery) and two lateral staircases which led to the roofspace. At

1830-460: A race course), and necropolis (cemetery). This acropolis was the highest point of fortification on the south edge at Halieis. There was a small open-air cult space, including an altar and monuments. The Ankara Acropolis, which was set in modern-day Turkey, is a historically prominent space that has changed over time through the urban development of the country from the Phrygian period. This acropolis

1952-412: A rectangular enclosure (60 x 50 metres), which was entered on the east side through a rectangular propylaea in antis (built in the fifth century BC) fronted by a short staircase and a circular structure. Outside of the enclosure, the propylaea is flanked by the remains of a long portico ( stoa ) with seats for the pilgrims, who left evidence of themselves in the form of various altars and votives. Inside

2074-425: A sign that they were later adapted as Christian buildings or inhabited by Christians. Further north, before the main area of habitation, there are the grandiose fortifications for the defense of the acropolis. They are paralleled by a long gallery (originally covered) with numerous vaulted passages, followed by a deep defensive ditch crossed by a bridge, with three semicircular towers at west, north, and east. Around

2196-444: A single sacred compound ( Temenos ), since there is a wall separating Temple E from Temple F. This sacred complex has strong parallels with the western slopes of the acropolis of Megara , Selinus’ mothercity, which are useful (perhaps indispensable) for the correct attribution of the cults of the three temples. Temple E the most recent of the three, dates to 460-450 BC and has a very similar plan to that of Temples A and O on

2318-492: A small force, with the assistance of which the Segestans defeated the Selinuntines in a battle. The Carthaginians in the following spring (409 BC) sent over a vast army containing 100,000 men, according to the lowest ancient estimate, led by Hannibal Mago (the grandson of Hamilcar that was killed at Himera ). The army landed at Lilybaeum, and directly marched from there to Selinunte. The city's inhabitants had not expected such

2440-458: A tempest. The defeat of the Athenian armament apparently left the Segestans at the mercy of their rivals. They surrendered the frontier district that was the original subject of dispute to Selinunte. The Selinuntines, however, were not satisfied with this concession, and continued their hostility against them, leading the Segestans to seek assistance from Carthage. After some hesitation, Carthage sent

2562-435: A ten-day siege the city was taken and most of the defenders put to death. According to sources, 16,000 of the citizens of Selinunte were killed, 5,000 were taken prisoner, and 2,600 under the command of Empedion escaped to Acragas. Subsequently, a considerable number of the survivors and fugitives were gathered together by Hermocrates of Syracuse, and established within the walls of the city. Shortly after, Hannibal destroyed

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2684-590: A town in his time, but Strabo distinctly classes it with extinct cities. Ptolemy , though he mentions the river Selinus, does not mention a town of the name. The Thermae Selinuntiae (at modern Sciacca ), which derived their name from the ancient city, and seem to have been much frequented in the time of the Romans , were situated at a considerable distance, 30 km, from Selinunte: they are sulfurous springs, still much valued for their medical properties, and dedicated, like most thermal waters in Sicily, to San Calogero . At

2806-495: Is acropolises , also commonly as acropoleis and acropoles , and ακροπόλεις in Greek. The term acropolis is also used to describe the central complex of overlapping structures, such as plazas and pyramids, in many Maya cities , including Tikal and Copán . Acropolis is also the term used by archaeologists and historians for the urban Castro culture settlements located in Northwestern Iberian hilltops. It

2928-452: Is 425 metres long, the East-West is 338 metres long). Every 32 metres they are intersected by other minor roads (5 metres wide). On the crest of the acropolis are the remains of numerous Doric temples . Multiple altars and little sanctuaries may be attributed to the first years of the colony, which were replaced around fifty years later by large, more permanent temples. The first of these is

3050-403: Is more standardized than Temple C (The columns are slightly inclined, more slender, and have entasis , the portico is supported by a distyle pronaos in antis), but it retains some archaic features, such as variation in the length of the intercolumniation and the diameter of the columns, as well as in the number of flutes per column. As with Temple C, there are many circular and square cavities in

3172-419: Is not easy to understand the various structures, which were built at the end of the fourth century BC. It consists of an enclosure wall surrounded by various types of column on two sides (part of a Hellenistic portico), a small prostyle temple in antis (5.22 x 3.02 m) at the back of the enclosure with monolithic Doric columns, but an ionic entablature, and two others in the centre of the enclosure. Outside, to

3294-616: Is primarily associated with the Greek cities of Athens , Argos (with Larisa ), Thebes (with Cadmea ), Corinth (with its Acrocorinth ), and Rhodes (with its Acropolis of Lindos ). It may also be applied generically to all such citadels including Rome, Carthage , Jerusalem , Celtic Bratislava , Asia Minor , or Castle Rock in Edinburgh . An example in Ireland is the Rock of Cashel . In Central Italy , many small rural communes still cluster at

3416-471: Is the oldest in this area, dating from 550 BC. In 1925-7 the fourteen of the north side's seventeen columns were re-erected, along with part of the entablature. It had a peristyle (24 x 63.7 metres) of 6 x 17 columns (8.62 metres high). The entrance is reached by eight steps and consists of a portico with a second row of columns and then the pronaos. Behind it is the naos and adyton in a single long narrow structure (an archaic characteristic). It has basically

3538-560: The Parthenon , which is derived from the divine Athena Parthenos. There were often dances, music and plays held at the acropolis, which it served as a community centre for the city of Athens. It became a prime tourist destination by the 2nd century AD during the Roman Empire and was known as "the Greece of Greece," as coined by an unknown poet. Although originating in the mainland of Greece, use of

3660-628: The Peace of Nicias between Athens and Sparta, which brought a temporary end to the Peloponnesian War. The essence of the Peace of Nicias was a return to the pre-war situation: most wartime gains were to be returned. Most notably, Amphipolis would be returned to Athens, and the Athenians would release the prisoners taken at Sphacteria . Temples throughout Greece would be open to worshippers from all cities, and

3782-456: The archaic form of the Megaron , perhaps intended to hold votive offerings. Lacking a pronaos, the entrance at the eastern end passed directly into the naos (at the centre of which there are two bases for the wooden columns which held up the roof). At the back there was a square adyton, to which a third space was added in a later period. The Shrine was perhaps dedicated to Demeter Thesmophoros. To

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3904-537: The ecclesia (the Athenian Assembly) and told them that the Assembly was haughty and had great ambitions. He urged them to renounce their diplomatic authority to represent Sparta, and instead allow him to assist them through his influence in Athenian politics. The representatives agreed and, impressed with Alcibiades, they distanced themselves from Nicias, despite him being sincere in wanting to reach an agreement with

4026-502: The ostracism was never to be used again. In 415 BCE, delegates from the Sicilian city of Segesta ( Greek : Egesta) arrived in Athens to plead for the support of the Athenians in their war against Selinus . During the subsequent debates, Nicias vehemently opposed an Athenian intervention, using the argument that the campaign would be excessively costly if it was to be successful. He attacked

4148-407: The Athenian state. He was a moderate in his political views and opposed the aggressive imperialism of the democrats. His principal aim was to conclude a peace with Sparta as soon as it could be obtained on terms favourable to Athens. He was regularly elected to serve as strategos (general) for Athens during the Peloponnesian War . He led several expeditions which achieved little. Nevertheless, he

4270-459: The Athenians, who would condemn him if they were defeated. The Syracusans and Spartans under Hermocrates were able to trap the Athenians in the harbor and the Athenians sustained heavy losses in the second Battle of Syracuse . Demosthenes was ambushed by the Syracusans and was forced to surrender. Nicias was soon captured as well, and both were executed by allied forces despite Gylippus ’ orders to

4392-654: The British Museum. Now in the echoes of the activities of Lord Elgin in Athens, Angell and Harris’s shipments were diverted to Palermo by force of the Bourbon authorities and are now kept in the Palermo archeological museum . East of Temple C is its rectangular grand altar (20.4 metres long x 8 metres wide) of which the foundations and some steps remain. After that there is the area of the Hellenistic agora . A little further there are

4514-540: The East Hill. The peristyle was 16.2 x 40.2 m with 6 x 14 columns (6.23 metres high). Inside there was a pronaos in antis , a naos with an adyton and an opisthodomos in antis, separate from the naos. The naos was a step higher than the pronaos and the adyton was a step higher again. In the wall between the pronaos and the naos in Temple A two spiral staircases led to the gallery (or floor) above. The pronaos of Temple A has

4636-639: The Maya Site in Guatemala, and the Acropolis at Halieis . The most famous example is the Athenian Acropolis, which is a collection of structures featuring a citadel on the highest part of land in ancient (and modern-day) Athens, Greece. Many notable structures at the site were constructed in the 5th century BCE, including the Propylaea , Erechtheion , and the Temple of Athena. The Temple is also commonly known as

4758-481: The Segestans being at war with the Lilybaeans (modern Marsala) in 454 BC, that the Selinuntines are the people really meant. The river Mazarus , which at that time appears to have formed the boundary with Segesta, was only about 25 km west of Selinunte; and it is certain that at a somewhat later period the territory of Selinunte extended to its banks, and that that city had a fort and emporium at its mouth. On

4880-446: The Segestans; but the Segestans appealed to Athens for help. The Athenians do not appear to have taken any immediate action to save Segesta, but no further conflict around Segesta is recorded. When the Athenian expedition first arrived in Sicily (415 BC), Thucydides presents the general Nicias as proposing that the Athenians should proceed to Selinunte at once and compel the Selinuntines to surrender on moderate terms; but this advice

5002-430: The Selinuntines were engaged in hostilities with the non-Greek Elymian people of Segesta , whose territory bordered their own. A body of emigrants from Rhodes and Cnidus who subsequently founded Lipara , supported the Segestans on this occasion, leading to their victory; but disputes and hostilities between the Segestans and Selinuntines seem to have occurred frequently, and it is possible that when Diodorus speaks of

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5124-543: The Spartans. The next day, during the Assembly, Alcibiades asked them what powers Sparta had granted them to negotiate and they replied, as agreed, that they had not come with full and independent powers. This was in direct contradiction to what they had said the day before, and Alcibiades seized on this opportunity to denounce their character, cast suspicion on their aims, and destroy their credibility. This ploy increased Alcibiades' standing while embarrassing Nicias, and Alcibiades

5246-547: The absence of fluting on some of the columns and by the existence of column drums of the same dimensions ten kilometres away at Cave di Cusa , still in the process of extraction (see below). In the massive pile of ruins it is possible to make out a peristyle of 8 x 17 columns (16.27 metres high and 3.41 metres in diameter), only one of which remains standing since it was re-erected in 1832, known in Sicilian as “lu fusu di la vecchia” (the old woman's spindle). The interior consisted of

5368-568: The acropolis model quickly spread to Greek colonies such as the Dorian Lato on Crete during the Archaic Period . The Tepecik Acropolis at Patara served as a harbor to nearby communities and naval forces, such as Antigonos I Monopthalmos and Demetrios Poliorketes , and combined land and sea. Its fortification wall and Bastion date back to the Classical period. The acropolis was constructed in

5490-605: The acropolis was fortified by a counter wall and towers from the beginning of the fourth century BC. At the entrance to the acropolis is the so-called Tower of Pollux, constructed in the sixteenth century to deter the Barbary pirates , atop the remains of an ancient tower or lighthouse. The Hippodamian urban plan dates to the fourth century BC (i.e. to the period of Punic rule) and is divided in quarters by two main streets (9 metres wide), which cross at right angles (the North-South road

5612-489: The acropolis, which was more defensible. In 1985 a tufa structure was discovered on the hill, probably a public building of the fifth century BC. Further north, beyond the housing, are two necropoleis: Manuzza and the older (seventh and sixth century) one in Galera-Bagliazzo. Starting in 2020, the outline of the largest agora of the ancient world with an area of 33000 m, more than twice that of Rome’s Piazza del Popolo,

5734-444: The acropolis. Its current appearance is the result of anastylosis (reconstruction using the original material) carried out – controversially – between 1956 and 1959. The peristyle is 25.33 x 67.82 metres with a 6 x 15 column pattern (each 10.19 metres high) with numerous traces of the stucco which originally covered it remaining. It is a temple characterised by multiple staircases creating a system of successive levels: ten steps lead to

5856-458: The area of the sanctuary between the third and fifth centuries AD. A little further up the slopes of Gaggera Hill is the spring from which the Sanctuary of the Malophoros gets its water. Fifty metres downstream of it is a building once believed to be a temple (the so-called “Temple M”), which is actually a monumental fountain. It is rectangular in shape (26.8 metres long x 10.85 metres wide x 8 metres high), constructed of squared blocks and contained

5978-415: The area, which took the form of a propylaea with a floorplan in the shape of a T, made up of a 13 x 5.6 metre rectangle with a peristyle of 5 x 12 columns and another rectangle of 6.78 x 7.25 metres. Across the East-West street there is a second sacred area, north of the preceding. There, to the south of Temple C is a Shrine 17.65 metres long and 5.5 metres wide which dates from 580 to 570 BC and has

6100-480: The back of the central aisle was an adyton, separated from the walls of the naos and entirely contained within it. Inside the adyton, the torso of a wounded or dying giant was found as well as the very important inscription known as the “Great Table of Selinus” (see below). At the rear there was an opisthodomos in antis, which could not be accessed from the naos. Of particular interest among the ruins are some finished columns showing traces of coloured stucco and blocks of

6222-462: The base of a fortified habitation known as rocca of the commune. Other parts of the world have developed other names for the high citadel, or alcázar , which often have reinforced a naturally strong site. Because of this, many cultures have included acropolises in their societies, however, do not use the same name for them. The acropolis of a city was used in many ways, with regards to ancient time and through references. Because an acropolis

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6344-601: The basement of an archaic shrine: Temple Y , also known as the Temple of the Small Metopes . The recovered metopes have a height of 84 centimetres and can be dated to 570 BC. They depict a crouching Sphinx in profile, the Delphic triad ( Leto , Apollo , Artemis ) in rigid frontal view, and the Rape of Europa . Another two metopes can be dated to around 560 BC and were recycled in

6466-502: The character and motives of Alcibiades, who was a strong supporter of the expedition. Alcibiades argued that a Sicilian campaign would bring riches to the city and expand the empire, just as the Persian Wars had. It was at Nicias’ suggestion that the size of the fleet was significantly increased from 60 ships to "140 triremes , 5,100 hoplites , and about 1,300 archers, slingers, and light armed men". It would seem that Nicias' intention

6588-424: The city and territory were again given up to the Carthaginians by the peace of 383 BC. Although Dionysius reconquered it shortly before his death, it soon returned to Carthaginian control. The Halycus River, which was established as the eastern boundary of the Carthaginian dominion in Sicily by the treaty of 383 BC, seems to have generally continued to have been the border, despite temporary interruptions; and

6710-428: The city of La Blanca's rulers. Its main period of usage was during the Classical period of 600 AD to 850 AD, as the city developed as a commercial place of trade among a number of nearby settlements. The Mayan Acropolis site in Guatemala included a burial site and vaulted tombs of the highest status royal. This funerary structure was integrated into this sacred landscape, and illustrated the prosperity of power between

6832-525: The city on the Mannuzza Hill to the north, further inland, contained housing on the Hippodamian plan contemporary with the acropolis and two necropoleis (Galera-Bagliazzo and Manuzza). Other important remains are found on the high places across the rivers to the east and west of the city. In the east there are three temples ( E , F , G ) and a necropolis (Buffa) north of the modern village of Marinella. In

6954-445: The city walls, but gave permission to the surviving inhabitants to return and occupy it as tributaries of Carthage. A considerable part of the citizens of Selinunte took up this offer, which was confirmed by the treaty subsequently concluded between Dionysius , tyrant of Syracuse, and the Carthaginians, in 405 BC. The Selinuntines are again mentioned in 397 BC when they supported Dionysius during his war with Carthage; but both

7076-483: The command of the Athenian generals, Demosthenes and Eurymedon , to assist Nicias and his forces with the siege of Syracuse. The Athenian army moved to capture Syracuse while the larger fleet of Athenian ships blocked the approach to the city from the sea. After some initial success, the Athenian troops became disorganized in the chaotic night operation and were thoroughly routed by Gylippus. The Athenian commanders Lamachus and Eurymedon were killed. Nicias, although ill,

7198-564: The concentration of educational institutions in the area, including Columbia University and its affiliates, Barnard College , Teachers College , Union Theological Seminary and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America ; Manhattan School of Music ; Bank Street College of Education ; and New York Theological Seminary . The analogy is also aided by the neoclassical architecture of the Columbia University campus, which

7320-541: The construction of Hermocrates ’ wall. They show the quadriga of Demeter and Kore (or Helios and Selene ? Apollo ?) and an Eleusinian ceremony with three women holding ears of grain ( Demeter , Kore , and Hecate ? The Moirai ?). They are kept at the Antonino Salinas Regional Archeological Museum . Between Temples C and D are the ruins of a Byzantine village of the fifth century AD, built with recycled stone. The fact that some of

7442-413: The enclosure, there was the large altar (16.3 metres long x 3.15 metres wide) in the centre, on top of a pile of ashes from the bones and other parts of the sacrifices. It had an extension to the southwest, while the remains of an earlier archaic altar are visible near the northwest extremity and there is a square pit on the temple side of the altar. Between the altar and the temple there is a canal carved in

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7564-525: The entablature which have horseshoe-shaped grooves on the sides. Ropes were run through these grooves and used to lift them into place. Temple G probably functioned as the treasury of the city and epigraphic evidence suggests that it was dedicated to Apollo , though recent studies have suggested that it be attributed to Zeus . At the foot of the hill by the mouth of the River Cottone was the East Port , which

7686-414: The entrance on the eastern side, after the pronaos in antis another six steps lead into the naos and finally another six steps lead into the adyton at the rear of the naos. Behind the adyton, separated from it by a wall, was the opisthodomos in antis. A Doric frieze at the top of the walls of the naos consisted of metopes depicting people, with the heads and naked parts of the women made of Parian marble and

7808-514: The festival of Delos . Nicias funded the building of a bridge of boats between Delos and the Rhenean islands. The ships were decorated with garlands , gilding , and rich tapestry . Then a richly dressed chorus walked across the boats. Nicias then provided a 10,000 drachma fund to the Delians so they would continue this event into the future, praying on his behalf. Such instructions were engraved onto

7930-425: The foundation level. South of the temple there is a square structure and a rectangular structure of unclear function. North of the temple, another structure from a later period with two rooms opening onto the inside and outside of the temenos forms a secondary entrance to the enclosure. The south wall of the enclosure was periodically reinforced to fight the subsidence of the hillside. South of the propylaea, attached to

8052-474: The foundation of Megara Hyblaea, which is itself not accurately known, but it may be placed about 628 BC. Diodorus places it 22 years earlier, or 650 BC, and Hieronymus still further back in 654 BC. The date from Thucydides, which is probably the most likely, is incompatible with this earlier date. The name is supposed to have been derived from quantities of wild celery ( Ancient Greek : σέλινον , romanized :  (selinon) ) that grew on

8174-571: The fourth century BCE by the Hekatomnids that ultimately led to its seizure in 334 BCE by Alexander the Great . The acropolis contributed significantly to the overall development that took place during the Hellenistic empires. This acropolis was the earliest place of settlement, probably dating back to the third millennium BCE. During excavations that took place in 1989, ceramic items, terracotta figurines, coins, bone and stone objects were found that date to

8296-455: The fourth century BCE. The fortification wall and bastion that are built at this acropolis uses a style of masonry, commonly known as the Greek word ἔμπλεκτον (meaning "woven"). This style of masonry was likely used for weight-bearing purposes. The Acropolis at Halieis dates back to the Neolithic and Classical periods. It included a fortified wall, sanctuary of Apollo (two temples, an altar,

8418-585: The head of the Athenian government. After Pericles' death in 429 BC, Nicias became an important Athenian politician with the aristocratic (conservative) party looking to him as their leader. As such, Nicias became the rival of Cleon 's popular or democratic party. Nicias gained popularity through the use of his wealth, according to the later historian Plutarch . He funded and organized choruses for Athenian dramas, sporting events, public exhibitions, and new or restored statues and temples. Plutarch specifically refers to an example of Nicias' generosity—his funding of

8540-542: The houses were crushed by the collapse of the columns of Temple C shows that the earthquake which caused the collapse of the Selinuntine temples occurred in the Medieval period . To the north, the acropolis holds two quarters of the city (one west and the other east of the main north-south street), rebuilt by Hermocrates after 409 BC. The houses are modest, built with recycled material. Some of them contain incised crosses,

8662-560: The model of Temple C. Of the temples it has been the most severely spoliated. Its peristyle was 24.43 x 61.83 metres on a 6 x 14 column pattern (each 9.11 metres high), with stone screens (4.7 metres high) in the space between the columns, with false doors painted in with pilasters and architraves – the actual entrance was at the east end. It is not clear what the purpose of these screens, which are unique among Greek temples, was. Some think they were intended to protect votive gifts or to prevent particular rites ( Dionysian Mysteries ?) being seen by

8784-571: The mouth of the small river of the same name, and 6.5 km west of the Hypsas river (the modern Belice ). It was founded, according to the historian Thucydides , by a colony from the Sicilian city of Megara Hyblaea , under the leadership of a man called Pammilus , about 100 years after the foundation of Megara Hyblaea, with the help of colonists from Megara in Greece, which was Megara Hyblaea's mother city. The date of its foundation cannot be precisely fixed, as Thucydides indicates it only by reference to

8906-484: The only religious building that attests to the modest revival of the city after its destruction in 409. Its purpose remains obscure; in the past it was believed to be the Heroon of Empedocles , benefactor of the Selinuntine marshes, but this theory is no longer sustainable, given the building's date. Today it is thought more likely to be a strongly Hellenised Punic cult, perhaps to Demeter or Asclepius - Eshmun . Temple C

9028-501: The oracle at Delphi would regain its autonomy. Athens could continue to collect tribute from the states as it had done so since the time of Aristides , but Athens could not force them to become allies. Athens also agreed to come to Sparta's aid if the Helots revolted. All of Sparta's allies agreed to sign the peace, except for the Boeotians , Corinth , Elis , and Megara . While the Peace

9150-457: The other side Selinunte's territory certainly extended as far as the Halycus (modern Platani ), at the mouth of which it founded the colony of Minoa , or Heracleia, as it was afterward called. It is clear, therefore, that Selinunte had already achieved great power and prosperity; but very little information survives about its history. Like most of the Sicilian cities, it passed from an oligarchy to

9272-419: The other. Hyperbolos tried to bring about the ostracism of one of this pair, but Nicias and Alcibiades combined their influence to induce the people to expel Hyperbolos instead. This incident reveals that Nicias and Alcibiades each commanded a personal following, whose votes were determined by the wishes of the leaders. Plutarch was of the view that the Athenians were so angered by this cynical manoeuvring that

9394-659: The others, etc. Finds in the temple include: some fragments of red, brown, and purple polychrome terracotta from the cornice decoration, a gigantic 2.5-metre-high (8.2 ft) clay gorgon head from the pediment, three metopes representing Perseus slaying the Gorgon , Heracles with the Cercopes , and a frontal view of the quadriga of Apollo , all of which are in the Museo Archeologico di Palermo. Temple C probably functioned as an archive, since hundreds of seals have been found here and

9516-406: The outside of the north tower (which had a weapons’ store at its base) are the entrances to the east-west trench, with passages in both the walls. Only a small part of the fortifications belong to the old city – they are mostly from Hermocrates ’ reconstruction and successive repairs in the fourth and third centuries. The fact that architectural elements were recycled into it demonstrates that some of

9638-410: The pavement of the peristyle and of the naos, whose function is unknown. Temple D was dedicated to Athena according to epigraphic evidence or perhaps to Aphrodite . The large external altar is not oriented to the temple's axis, but placed obliquely near the southwest corner, which suggested that an earlier temple occupied the same site on a different axis. East of Temple D is a small altar in front of

9760-420: The progress of Sparta's most effective general, Brasidas . However, the "Truce of Laches" had little impact on Brasidas and collapsed within a year. Brasidas proceeded to take Scione and Mende in the hope of reaching Athens and freeing Spartan prisoners. Athens sent reinforcements under Nicias, who recaptured Mende. Cleon then effectively ended the truce between Athens and Sparta after he resolved to rescue

9882-500: The quarries is the sudden interruption of operations caused by the attack on the city in 409 BC. The sudden departure of the quarrymen, stonemasons and other workers means that today it is possible not just to reconstruct, but to see all the various stages of the quarrying process from the first deep circular cuts to the finished drums waiting to be transported. Along with the column drums, there are also some capitals and also square incisions for quarrying square blocks, all intended for

10004-438: The remains of houses and the terrace is bordered by a Doric portico (57 metres long and 2.8 metres deep) which overlooks part of the wall supporting the acropolis. Next is Temple D which is dated to 540 BC. The west face fronts directly onto the north-south street. The peristyle is 24 metres × 56 metres on a 6 × 13 column pattern (each 7.51 metres high). There is a pronaos in antis, an elongated naos, ending in an adyton. It

10126-455: The rest from local stone. Four metopes are preserved: Heracles killing the Amazon Antiope , the marriage of Hera and Zeus , Actaeon being torn apart by Artemis ’ hunting dogs, Athena killing the giant Enceladus , and another more fragmentary one perhaps depicting Apollo and Daphne . All of them are kept in the Museo Archeologico di Palermo. Recent sondages performed inside

10248-426: The right of the shrine is Temple B from the Hellenistic period, which is small (8.4 x 4.6 metres) and in bad condition. It is made up of a prostyle portico of four columns which is reached by a stairway with nine steps, followed by a pronaos and naos. In 1824 clear traces of polychrome stucco were still visible. Probably constructed around 250 BC, a short time before Selinus was abandoned for good, it represents

10370-450: The rock which, comes from the north, through the whole area, carrying water to the sanctuary from a nearby spring. Just past the canal is the Temple of Demeter itself in the form of a megaron (20.4 x 9.52 metres), lacking a crepidoma or columns, but equipped with a pronaos, naos and adyton with a niche in the back. A rectangular service room is attached to the north side of the pronaos. The megaron had an earlier phase recognisable only at

10492-486: The royal figures of Pedras Negras in Guatemala. Acropolises today have become the epicenters of tourism and attraction sites in many modern-day Greek cities. The Athenian Acropolis, in particular, is the most famous, and has the best vantage point in Athens, Greece. Today, tourists can purchase tickets to visit the Athenian Acropolis, including walking, sightseeing, and bus tours, as well as a classic Greek dinner. Because of its classical Hellenistic and Greco-Roman style,

10614-546: The ruins of Mission San Juan Capistrano's Great Stone Church in California, United States has been called an American Acropolis. The civilization developed its religious, educational, and cultural aspects of the acropolis, and is used today as a location that holds events, such as operas. The neighborhood of Morningside Heights in New York City is commonly referred to as the "Academic Acropolis" due to its high elevation and

10736-461: The same floor plan as Temple F on the East Hill. Multiple elements show a certain experimentation and divergence from the pattern of the Doric temple which later became the standard: the columns are squat and massive (some are even made from a single stone), lack entasis , show variation in the number of flutes , the width of the intercolumniation varies, the corner columns have a larger diameter than

10858-406: The sea in the south, while the north end narrows to 140 m wide. The settlement was in the form of a massive trapezoid, extended to the north with a large retaining wall in terraces (about eleven metres high) and surrounded by a wall (repeatedly restored and modified) with an exterior of squared stone blocks and an interior of rough stone ( emplecton ). It had five towers and four gates. To the north,

10980-401: The seventh to fifth centuries BC; large bust-shaped censers depicting Demeter and perhaps Tanit , a great quantity of Corinthian pottery (late proto-Corinthian and early Corinthian), a bass-relief depicting the Rape of Persephone by Hades found at the entrance to the enclosure. Christian remains, especially lamps with the monogram XP , prove the presence of a Christian religious community in

11102-404: The silver mines of Laurium . Xenophon wrote that Nicias had over 1,000 slaves working in the mines. Plutarch states that Nicias was generous with his wealth and that he spent his money on charitable activities in Athens and funding many religious festivals. Plutarch wrote that Nicias paid for a statue of Athena and a shrine to Dionysus. Nicias' rise to prominence occurred while Pericles was at

11224-507: The so-called Megaron near Temples B & C. In front of Temple O there is a Punic sacrificial area from after the conquest of 409 BC, consisting of rooms built of dry masonry within which vases containing ashes were deposited along with amphorae of the Carthaginian “torpedo” type. Temple O and Temple A of which little remains except for the rocky basement and the altar which was constructed between 490 and 460 BC. They had nearly identical structures, similar to that of Temple E on

11346-459: The spot. For the same reason, they adopted the celery leaf as the symbol on their coins. Selinunte was the most westerly of the Greek colonies in Sicily, and for this reason they soon came into contact with the Phoenicians of western Sicily and the native Sicilians in the west and northwest of the island. The Phoenicians do not at first seem to have conflicted with them; but as early as 580 BC

11468-423: The temple and under Temple E have revealed that it was preceded by two other sacred buildings, one of which was destroyed in 510 BC. Temple E was dedicated to Hera as shown by the inscription on a votive stela but some scholars deduce that it must have been dedicated to Aphrodite on the basis of structural parallels. Temple F , the oldest and smallest of the three, was built between 550 and 540 BC on

11590-450: The temples of Selinus. Of the drums that had already been extracted, some were found ready for transport and others, already on the way to Selinus were abandoned on the road. Some gigantic columns, definitely intended for Temple G, are found in the area west of Cave di Cusa, also in the state in which they were originally abandoned. Acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially

11712-508: The temples were already abandoned in 409 BC. The main residential part of the city is on the Manuzza Hill, the modern road traces the border of an area in the form of a massive trapezoid. The whole area was designed on a Hippodamian plan (reconstructed by means of aerial photography), on a slightly different orientation from the acropolis, with elongated insulae of 190 x 32 metres oriented north-south, which were originally surrounded by

11834-517: The time of the Carthaginian invasion, as having enjoyed a long period of tranquility, and possessing a numerous population. The walls of Selinunte enclosed an area of approximately 100 hectares (250 acres). The population of the city has been estimated at 14,000 to 19,000 people during the fifth century BC. In 416 BC, a renewal of the earlier disputes between Selinunte and Segesta led to the great Athenian expedition to Sicily. The Selinuntines called on Syracuse for assistance, and were able to blockade

11956-474: The town of Amphipolis in Macedonia . However, through skilful generalship by Brasidas, the Spartans routed the Athenians at the Battle of Amphipolis . Both Brasidas and Cleon were killed in the battle, thereby removing the key members of the pro-war factions on both sides. After the battle, Nicias decided to seek peace between all the warring states. Nicias, and Pleistoanax , King of Sparta, negotiated in 421 BC

12078-555: The uninitiated. Inside, there is a portico containing a second row of columns, a pronaos, a naos, and an adyton in single long, narrow structure (an archaic characteristic). On the east side, two late archaic metopes (dated to 500 BC) were found in excavations in 1823, which depict Athena and Dionysus in the process of killing two giants . Today they are kept in the Regional Archeological Museum Antonio Salinas . Scholars have suggested that Temple F

12200-429: The wall of the enclosure, was another enclosure dedicated to Hecate . This took the form of a square, with the shrine in the east corner, near an entrance, while in the south corner there was a small square paved space of uncertain purpose. Fifteen metres north there was another square enclosure (17 x 17 metres) dedicated to Zeus Meilichios (Honey-sweet Zeus) and Pasikrateia ( Persephone ), much of which remains, but it

12322-404: The west are the most ancient remains of Selinus: the Sanctuary of the Malophoros and the archaic necropolis (Pipio, Manicalunga, Timpone Nero). The two ports of the city were in the mouths of the city's two rivers. The modern Archaeological park, which covers about 270 hectares can therefore be divided into the following areas: The acropolis is on a limestone massif with a cliff face falling into

12444-723: The west part of the structure (the Erechtheion), as well as the Parthenon itself. Most excavations have been able to provide archaeologists with samples of pottery, ceramics, and vessels. The excavation of the Acropolis of Halieis produced remains that provided context that dated the Acropolis at Halieis from the Final Neolithic period through the first Early Helladic period. Nicias Nicias ( / ˈ n ɪ ʃ i ə s / ; Ancient Greek : Νικίας Νικηράτου Κυδαντίδης , romanized :  Nikias Nikēratou Kydantidēs ; c. 470–413 BC)

12566-644: The west, the pious dedicated many small steles topped by images of the divine pair (two faces, one male and one female) made with shallow incisions. Along with them were found ashes and remains of offerings, evidence of convergence between the Greek cult of the Chthonic gods and Punic religion. A very large number of finds came from the Sanctuary of the Malophoros (all kept at the Museum in Palermo): carved reliefs of mythological scenes, around 12,000 votive figurines in terracotta from

12688-499: Was again fixed as the border by the treaty with Agathocles in 314 BC. This last treaty expressly stipulated that Selinunte, as well as Heracleia and Himera, were subjects of Carthage, as before. In 276 BC, however, during the expedition of Pyrrhus to Sicily, the Selinuntines voluntarily joined Pyrrhus, after the capture of Heracleia. By the First Punic War , Selinunte was again under Carthaginian control, and its territory

12810-411: Was an Athenian politician and general during the period of the Peloponnesian War . Nicias was a member of the Athenian aristocracy and had inherited a large fortune from his father, which was invested in the silver mines around Attica 's Mt. Laurium . Following the death of Pericles in 429 BC, he became the principal rival of Cleon and the democrats in the struggle for the political leadership of

12932-468: Was arranged on massive terraces on the hillslopes North of the modern village of Marinella, is the Buffa necropolis A path runs from the acropolis, over the river Modione to the west hill. On Gaggera Hill there are the remains of the very ancient Selinuntine sanctuary to the goddess of fertility, Demeter Malophoros , excavated continuously between 1874 and 1915. The complex, in varying states of preservation,

13054-476: Was being negotiated, Alcibiades became more influential in Athens. Alcibiades opposed the Peace and argued strongly for Athens to continue its war against Sparta and its allies. His first move was convincing Argos to form an alliance. Alcibiades first rose to prominence when he began advocating aggressive Athenian action after the signing of the Peace of Nicias . Historians Arnold W. Gomme and Raphael Sealey believe, and Thucydides reports, that Alcibiades

13176-502: Was built at the highest part of a city, it served as a highly functional form of protection, a fortress, and was as well as a home to the royal of a city and a centre for religion through the worshipping of different gods. There have been many classical and ancient acropolises, including the most commonly-known, Acropolis of Athens , as well as the Tepecik Acropolis at Patara , Ankara Acropolis, Acropolis of La Blanca , Acropolis at

13298-488: Was built in the sixth century BC on the slope of the hill and probably served as a station for funerary processions, before they proceeded to the Manicalunga necropolis. Initially, the place was definitely free of buildings and provided an open area for cult practices at the altar. Later, with the erection of the temple and of the high enclosure wall ( temenos ) it was transformed into a sanctuary. This sanctuary consisted of

13420-466: Was dedicated to Apollo , according to epigraphic evidence, or perhaps Heracles. British architects Samuel Angell and William Harris excavated at Selinus in the course of their tour of Sicily , and came upon the sculptured metopes from the Archaic temple of “Temple C.” Although local Bourbon officials tried to stop them, they continued their work, and attempted to export their finds to England, destined for

13542-487: Was dedicated to either Athena or Dionysus . Temple G was the largest in Selinus (113.34 metres long, 54.05 metres wide and about 30 metres high) and was among the largest in the Greek world. This building, although under construction from 530 to 409 BC (the long period of construction is demonstrated by the variation of style: the east side is archaic, while the west side is classical), remained incomplete, as shown by

13664-420: Was designed by McKim, Mead & White in the early 20th century. Much of the modern-day uses of acropolises have been discovered through excavations that have developed over the course of many years. For example, the Athenian Acropolis includes a Great Temple that holds the Parthenon, a specific space for ancient worship. Through today's findings and research, the Parthenon treasury is able to be recognized as

13786-407: Was largely responsible for the successful negotiations which led to the Peace of Nicias in 421 BC. Following the Peace, he objected to the ambitious plans of Alcibiades . Despite this, Nicias was appointed to participate in the Athenian invasion of Sicily . He died at the Athenian siege of Syracuse. Nicias inherited from his father, Niceratus, a considerable fortune, which was invested mainly in

13908-411: Was left in sole charge of the siege of Syracuse. Following this defeat in battle, Demosthenes suggested that the Athenians immediately give up the siege of Syracuse and return to Athens, where they were needed to defend against an Alcibiades’ inspired Spartan invasion of Attica. Nicias refused. According to Plutarch, Nicias explained that he preferred to be killed by the enemy, rather than being killed by

14030-572: Was more than 600 metres wide on the inside and was probably equipped with a mole or breakwater to protect the acropolis. It underwent changes in the fourth and third centuries: it was enlarged and flanked by piers (oriented north-south) and by storage areas. Of the two ports of Selinus, which are both now silted up, the West Port on the River Selinus-Modione was the main one. The extramural quarters, dedicated to trade, commerce and port activities

14152-405: Was offended that the Spartans had negotiated that treaty through Nicias and Laches , overlooking him on account of his youth. Disputes over the interpretation of the treaty led the Spartans to dispatch ambassadors to Athens with full powers to arrange all unsettled matters. The Athenians initially received these ambassadors well, but Alcibiades met with them in secret before they were to speak to

14274-411: Was overruled and the expedition sailed against Syracuse instead. As a result, the Selinuntines played only a minor part in the subsequent operations. They are, however, mentioned on several occasions providing troops to the Syracusans; and it was at Selinunte that the large Peloponnesian force sent to support Gylippus landed in the spring of 413 BC, having been driven over to the coast of Africa by

14396-565: Was repeatedly the theater of military operations between the Romans and the Carthaginians. But before the close of the war (about 250 BC), when the Carthaginians were beginning to pull back, and confine themselves to the defense of as few places as possible, they removed all the inhabitants of Selinunte to Lilybaeum and destroyed the city. It seems that it was never rebuilt. Pliny the Elder mentions its name ( Selinus oppidum ), as if it still existed as

14518-512: Was subsequently appointed General. He took advantage of his increasing power to orchestrate the creation of an alliance between Argos , Mantinea , Elis , and other states in the Peloponnese, threatening Sparta's dominance in the region. This alliance, however, was ultimately defeated in 418 BC at the Battle of Mantinea . During the years 416 BC and 415 BC, a complex struggle took place between Hyperbolos on one side and Nicias and Alcibiades on

14640-488: Was to shock the assembly with his high estimate of the forces required, but, instead of dissuading his fellow citizens, his analysis made them all the more eager. Against his wishes Nicias was appointed General along with Alcibiades and Lamachus , all three of whom were given full powers to do whatever was in the best interests (like what?) of Athens while in Sicily. In 414 BCE, Athens responded to appeals from Nicias by sending out 73 vessels and 5,000 soldiers to Sicily under

14762-422: Was unearthed. The Agora, dating from the 6th century BC, was at the centre of the city, surrounded by public buildings and residential quarters. Previous excavations had revealed only one archaeological feature on the agora: an empty tomb in the middle, perhaps that of the founder. There are three temples on the East Hill, which although all in the same area on the same north-south axis seem not to have belonged to

14884-472: Was well known as a spot for holy worshipping, and was symbolic of the time. It has also been a place that has historically recognized the legislative changes that Turkey has faced.    The Acropolis of La Blanca was created in Guatemala as a small ancient Maya settlement and archaeological site that is located adjacent to the Salsipuedes River. This acropolis developed as a place of residence for

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