Selinus (redirected from Selinunte)

Selinus (sĭlī`nəs), ancient city of Sicily. It was founded (628? B.C.) by Dorian Greeks. The constant rival of neighboring Segesta, Selinus got Syracuse to interfere in a quarrel, which led to the unsuccessful Athenian expedition in Sicily (415–413 B.C.). Segesta invoked the aid of the Carthaginians, who sacked Selinus in 409 B.C. The city was rebuilt, but it did not prosper and was finally destroyed by Carthage in 250 B.C. The ruins of the five Doric temples on the Acropolis of Selinus have been excavated, revealing some of the finest examples of archaic Greek sculpture and architecture.

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Selinus

Ancient Greek city, southern coast of Sicily. Founded by Greek colonists in the 7th century BC, Selinus achieved great prosperity in the 5th century BC, the time when its Doric temples were being built. In 409 BC it was destroyed by a Carthaginian army aiding the inhabitants of the rival city of Segesta. It never truly recovered, and in 250 BC the Carthaginians finally demolished it. Its extensive ruins include the remains of eight temples.