Ancient Selinus: A troublesome neighbour, ever bigger temples, and a couple with problems of identity

Temple E at Selinus, dated about 460-450 BC and dedicated to Hera, is the last in a small group of Sicilian temples with stylobates proportioned at or near 3 : 8. The group begins with temple C at Selinus, in the third quarter of the sixth century, and continues about 500 with the so-called temple “of Herakles” at Akragas which attempted to outdo the older Selinuntine temple in its dimensions. This released a fierce competition between the two cities through two giant temples, G at Selinus and the Olympieion at Akragas, begun respectively before and after the battle at Himera in 480 BC, but only the latter was concluded. Temple E imitates closely the temple “of Herakles” at Akragas, and announces a changed attitude toward the neighbouring town. Five relief metopes have been preserved from the friezes of pronaos and opisthodome, and it is argued that the most famous one, generally explained as the meeting between Zeus and Hera at Mount Ida as described in the Iliad, actually represents Persephone returning to Hades after her annual period above earth. This is better supported by contemporary iconography, and better suited for the position in the frieze: to the right in the central couple of the pronaos frieze, while the goddess to whom the temple was dedicated would rather be expected in the metope to the left, according to contemporary rules for such architectural decorations. The four gods together are a group central to Sicilian religious ideas in the period.