II Selinus Aesthetic differences from the use of different kinds of stone were consciously chosen. The finely carved edges and slender forms of the buildings on the Acropolis at Athens were possible because they used strong local Pentellic marble. Casual visitors might not realise that the softer calcaranite found at Selinus in Sicily forced the architects of the temples there to design and build columns with thicker drums covered with a stucco made from marble dust to preserve the surface from the strong winds off the nearby sea that caused pitting of the surface. An earlier temple at Selinus – built out of the same calcarenite – with wide stretching capitals to strengthen them for support of a heavy entablature above, was situated over a lens of calcarenite strong enough to support the weight of the temple. This site decision shows that the builders must have dug down, located the edge of the lens and deliberately pulled the temple back from the edge for the temple to better survive earthquakes which were known to happen there. It has been my pleasure to work with engineers and archeologists on these investigations. Now I look forward to interacting with new interested persons — the readers of On Site review . c
Geological sections at Selinus. top: N-S acropolis section, with the sea to the south, at left. d – detritus subject to landslide, cb – whitish calcarenite, as clayey sand, cg – yellow calcarenite with calcareous modules and macro fauna, ma – clayey marl. above: N-S section of the east hill with south to the left. The ruins of Temple G overlie a thick lens of calcarenite, which thins to the right (north)
below: one of the over-sized columns at Selinus, ca fifth century BCE
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Site map of Selinus and environs. left to right: Gagera spring area with remains of temples. Citta (Manuzza) with acropolis and three temples to the south; and three more temples on east hill (with Casa Floris). The site is divided E-W into three sections by the two rivers. At the lower centre between Citta and the acropolis is the semicircular bastion of the north gate, connected to the perimeter wall along the right side of the acropolis. The the north above Citta is a long, narrow ridge where cemeteries and quarries occupied the southernmost section, and quarries and spring the area farther north. C Cavallari and S Cavallari, 1872
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