Selinunte

Selinunte ( SEL-in-OON-tay, Italian: [seliˈnunte]; Ancient Greek: Σελῑνοῦς, romanized: Selīnoûs [seliːnûːs]; Latin: Selīnūs [sɛˈliːnuːs]; Sicilian: Silinunti [sɪlɪˈnuntɪ]) was a rich and extensive ancient Greek city of Magna Graecia on the south-western coast of Sicily in Italy. It was situated between the valleys of the Cottone and Modione rivers. It now lies in the comune of Castelvetrano, between the frazioni of Triscina di Selinunte in the west and Marinella di Selinunte in the east. The archaeological site contains many great temples, the earliest dating from 550 BC, with five centred on an acropolis. At its peak before 409 BC the city may have had 30,000 inhabitants, excluding slaves. It was destroyed and abandoned in 250 BC and never reoccupied.