Selinus

A rather obscure, but very wealthy city to the west of Acragas, Selinunte seems to have sought to compete with its more famous neighbor in the grandeur and number of its temples, which are labeled very honestly with letters. The site is particularly interesting because it was sacked in 409 by the Carthaginians and work on their own enormous Temple of Olympian Zeus was halted in the middle of its construction. Earthquake damage has toppled all the temples, but two have been partly reconstructed.

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Sel2.jpg

The ruined and never completed Temple of Olympian Zeus.

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There is a pristine beech within the archaeological park (Club Mediterranean Cultures). A sand temple, with Selinuntine temple in the background.

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