Selinunte, long structure accidentally found. It may be part of one of the city's ports

At the archaeological site of Selinunte, a structure 15 meters long and four rows of blocks for a height of about 1.80 meters was accidentally found very close to what must have been the dock connected to the sea, about a hundred meters from the current shore. It may have been part of one of the two harbors of the ancient former colony of Megara iblea, as large and imposing as one of the most important Mediterranean cities, a center of trade, required.

“Just days after the discovery at Segesta, comes another discovery that confirms Sicily an inexhaustible repository of artifacts that help to rebuild a glorious millennial history that is the child of incessant cultural and economic exchanges,” said Sicilian Regional President Renato Schifani. “It is the heritage of which we are heirs and proud bearers, but also custodians. That is why we have the responsibility to rediscover it, study it and propose it to new generations. Along with this, we have a unique opportunity to make the cultural offer an increasingly rich tourism proposal that becomes a development resource for our region. I congratulate the archaeologists of the Selinunte Archaeological Park for this new find.” “Another great discovery of a Sicilian archaeological park,” added the regional councillor for Cultural Heritage and Sicilian Identity, Francesco Paolo Scarpinato. “This time it is about the extraordinary Selinunte and its ancient port that made it one of the centers of trade in the Mediterranean. We are increasingly certain that new excavation missions must be supported, and Selinunte will be among the priorities: our commitment is to bring it to light in its complexity and entirety. We are happy that the discovery is entirely of the Park with its archaeologists.”

There is no trace of this construction in the documents of travelers between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, nor in the descriptions of researchers of the time: it is certainly very old, probably it was destroyed or at any rate submerged, in a distant era. To this day archaeologists speculate on the original form and function of the imposing architecture: perhaps a retaining structure on the river - georadar records many other structures under the sand -, perhaps the walls of a dock for boats (grooves can be glimpsed at regular intervals) perhaps connected to the eighty ancient furnaces discovered much further upstream, perhaps even the base of a bridge over the river. Scholars are certain, however, that this is an extremely interesting find that could rewrite the topography of the ancient city.

The discovery was made during simple clearing and restoration work in the Vallone del Gorgo Cottone, at the mouth of the river of the same name, along the western bank; at first only the corner of a block surfaced, the rest was buried under the massive layer of sand and recent vegetation, probably piled up after the war during the settlement of the acropolis area.

Archaeologist Linda Adorno, who was in charge of supervising the work, immediately sensed the importance of the structure and ensured that it was brought to light. Work was immediately suspended to allow for more thorough investigations and a more thorough cleaning of the area was initiated. Linda Adorno, a scholar of ancient Selinunte, is a scientific collaborator with the Germanic Archaeological Institute in Rome; she was assisted by her colleague Melanie Jonasch, who was on a mission in the area for another project; a group of students from the University of Palermo, who were engaged in a reconnaissance campaign in the urban area during the same days, also participated in the first intervention. Thanks to the valuable cooperation of everyone, it was possible to surface the full width of the facade of the structure, the ancient use of which is not yet understood, but a more extensive and thorough investigation is needed as soon as possible. According to archaeologists, the location of the structure on the western bank of the Cottone Gorge would indicate a connection with the naval traffic of the eastern port, which the University of Bochum is studying these days. It is undoubtedly an integral part of the urban layout of the Greek city, since it is perfectly in line with the road network of the southern system. Intuition accepted by Dieter Mertens, among the great connoisseurs of the urban layout of the Selinunte colony, as soon as he was informed of the discovery. However, it will be necessary to wait for the results of new research to define more precisely, form and function of the structure: the cores of the geoarchaeologists who are currently investigating the course of the river and the extent of the mouth of the Cottone in ancient times will be of great help.

Selinunte, long structure accidentally found. It may be part of one of the city's ports

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