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Document Details : Title: The Cult of Ancestors of Selinous Subtitle: Archaeological Commentary on the Greek Ritual Norm no. 13 (SEG XLIII 630) Author(s): HELAS, Sophie Journal: BABESCH Volume: 100 Date: 2025 Pages: 27-61 DOI: 10.2143/BAB.100.0.3294522 Abstract : In 2004, during the archaeological exploration of the agora of Selinous (Selinunte, Sicily) directed by Dieter Mertens, a tomb with a peribolos wall was brought to light. Its prominent location on the agora and the discovery of a nearby votive deposit support the hypothetical identification of the structure as a heroon. The most recent excavations, begun in 2017, yielded more indications of cultic activity in this part of the public square, where the city’s oldest known burials are located. These new archaeological findings allow us to propose a new reading of CGRN no. 13 – the so-called lex sacra from Selinous –, whose first translation was published in 1993. This epigraphic text mentions the Tritopatores – a group of ancestors –, who are to be worshipped by the citizenry. In this article we would like to propose that the ritual and sacrificial acts pertaining to the Tritopatores described in this ritual norm took place on the agora of Selinous. Some specific instructions, e.g. to pour wine through a roof, allow us to locate the libations at the heroon. Some additional acts mentioned in the text can also be tied to other activities documented in the archaeological record. Having compared the epigraphic and archaeological sources, our conclusion is that the sepulchral-sacral area located in the east of the agora – including the heroon – is to be identified as the city’s tritopatreion, the sanctuary of the revered ancestors of the polis. |
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